Test Ordering and Completion During Virtual vs In-Person Annual Visits

Among virtual vs in-person annual visits, how do rates of test ordering and test completion differ overall and by test value and type?In this cohort study of 22 547 annual visits, high- and low-value tests were less likely to be both ordered and completed at virtual compared with in-person visits, with slightly larger decreases for low-value (compared with high-value) tests and for point-of care laboratory (compared with scheduled) tests.The findings suggest that telemedicine may introduce frictions for clinicians and patients that differentially reduce low-value testing, although high-value tests are also affected, clarifying both a potential benefit for the virtual modality and the need for targeted tools to selectively promote high-value testing.

Corresponding Author: Ishani Ganguli, MD, MPH, Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 1620 Tremont St, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02120 (iganguli@bwh.harvard.edu).

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