ArticleKidney medicine2026
Differences in Telemedicine Use Between Rural and Urban Medicare Beneficiaries With Kidney Failure.
Article in Kidney medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Rationale & Objective: Telemedicine offers a potential solution to address disparities in health care access among rural and urban patients with kidney failure. This study examined telehealth utilization patterns and urban-rural differences before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Study Design: Retrospective observational cohort study. Setting & Population: Medicare beneficiaries (with both parts A and B) with kidney failure, on kidney replacement therapy of any modality (excluding transplant) from the United States Renal Data System, totaling 787,959 patients (2017-2021). Exposure: Urban versus rural residence, before (January 2020) and during (January 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic. Outcomes: Telehealth utilization, defined as any claim for telemedicine services, including mental health, primary care, nephrology, and other services. Analytical Approach: Multivariable logistic regression assessed predictors of telehealth use. Geographic variation was analyzed using county-level data. Results: Rural patients were more likely to use telehealth prepandemic (OR, 4.61; 95% CI, 4.11-5.28; Limitations: Exclusion of Medicare Advantage and private insurance data may limit generalizability. The study did not assess outcomes associated with telehealth use. Conclusions: Telehealth use considerably increased for patients with kidney failure during the pandemic, particularly in urban areas, but racial, ethnic, and social disparities persist. Efforts to promote equitable telehealth use and access are essential to advance health equity for patients with kidney failure.
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