Leveraging Digital Health Tools toAdvance Health Equity

T E N N E S S E ETo address gaps in technology adoption that impact underserved communities, the

National Center for Primary Care (NCPC) at Morehouse School of Medicine is examining the adoption and use of digital health tools by primary care clinicians in

four southeastern states: Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Digital health tools (DHT) include:

1This project was funded in partnership with the United Health Foundation, grant number 6479.

Tennessee Demographics

Total Population: 7 million+POPULATION: Over 7 Million 2% | 17% | 3% | 78% Asian Black Other White

www.msm.edu/ncpc | @NCPC_Policy

telemedicine

home/remote monitoring

health information exchange

electronic health recordspatient portal

wearable devices

prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP)

mobile applications, and other technologies used in

healthcare settings

6% 22%

Hispanic Ethnicity Live in Rural Area

12%Living in Poverty

MedicallyUnderserved Areas

100 10%Living without

Health Insurance

Living within theMedicaid Coverage Gap

113,000Primary Care Health

Professional ShortageAreas

887%Households

without a car

Social Determinants of Health in Tennessee

More than 160 clinicians in Tennessee have completed the survey, highlighting the

challenges and opportunities they have experienced using digital health tools.

0 >=1

Number of Survey Participants in Tennessee ZIP Codes

Survey Participants DemographicsThe majority of the 161 clinicians from Tennessee who participated in the survey held MD or DO credentials, specialized in primary care, and practiced in urban areas. They reported being satisfied with existing DHT.

3.1%Solo

Practice

14.9%Small Practice

31.7%Large Practice

34.8%Hospital/Hospital

and Outpatient Primary Care

8.1%Community

Health Center

88.2%of survey participants in Tennessee practice

in urban areas

10.6%practice in rural areas

of all survey participants practice in

urban areas

89.6%

9%practice in rural areas

35% 33%

Participate inMedicaid EHR

89% 89%

AcceptMedicaid

Overall StudyTennessee

Med

icai

d Pa

rtic

ipat

ion

70% 79%Satisfied or Very Satisfied

with their telemedicineexperience

Satisfied or Very Satisfiedwith their electronic health

record experience

Repo

rted

Lev

els

of

Satis

fact

ion

Skeptical orHesitant

17%

NeutralEager or EarlyAdopters

31%

52%

37%

29%36%

Tech

nolo

gy E

nthu

sias

m Overall StudyTennessee

MD/DO68%

NP/PA/CNM18%

PhD6%

Other8%

Primary Care (FM, IM, GER,

PEDS)77%

Obstetrics and

Gynecology 10%

Mental/Behavioral

Health3%

Other10%

Credentials Specialties

This project was funded in partnership with the United Health Foundation, grant number 6479.www.msm.edu/ncpc | @NCPC_Policy

2

Current Digital Health Tool Use

65%

49%

27%

52%

29% 27%28%

58%

19%

Telemedicine Patient Portal Remote Monitoring

Overall Tennessee AMA 2019

Nearly 99% of all providers who

participated in the survey use digital

health tools. Tennessee providers

reported similar usage rates.

90.7% of respondents were connected to the State HIE

47% of respondents were using the State HIE

Repo

rted

Dig

ital H

ealth

To

ol U

se

of all survey participants reported using DHT because of

COVID-19

90%

Digital Health Tool Use and COVID-19

89.8%of survey participants in Tennessee reported using DHT because of

COVID-19

of respondents who used telehealth because of

COVID-19 reported it was their first time

of respondents who used telehealth because of

COVID-19 reported it was their first time

54% 43%

10.4%

66.8%

62.8%

39.2%

Reasons for Using DHT during COVID in all States

2.1%

40.4%

29.8%

34%

Other

Treatment of COVID-19 negativepatients

Treatment of COVID-19 positivepatients

Training

Reas

ons

for U

sing

Di

gita

l Hea

lth To

ols

durin

g CO

VID-

19

3This project was funded in partnership with the United Health Foundation, grant number 6479.

www.msm.edu/ncpc | @NCPC_Policy

More than 9 in 10 providers reported being connected to the

Health Information Exchange (HIE), but

less than half reported using it.

4

Factors that Support and Impede Digital Health Tool Adoption

Reas

ons

for A

dopt

ing

Digi

tal H

ealth

Tool

s

66.2%

52.9%

Mandated

50.3%47.8%

Voluntary

Federal or State Law

Practice Leadership

Practice Decision

Individual Decision

Mandated Voluntary

50%Improves Patient

Health

53%Meets Patient

Need

51%Ease of Workflow

Integration

57%Cost

53%Time

35%Limited Workflow

Integration

36%

32.3%

22.4%

Federal or State Incentive Payments

Reimbursement by Public Payers

Reimbursement by Private Payers

Top

Barr

iers

to

Adop

ting

Digi

tal H

ealth

To

ols

Top

Fact

ors

Supp

ortin

g Di

gita

l Hea

lth To

ol

Adop

tion

Reim

burs

emen

t as

a Su

ppor

t for

Dig

ital H

ealth

To

ol A

dopt

ion

This project was funded in partnership with the United Health Foundation, grant number 6479.www.msm.edu/ncpc | @NCPC_Policy

Reasons for Digital Health Tool Use after COVID-19

with specialists and other health care professionals

Continuity of Carefor patients to behavioral

health services

Expand Accessof opioid prescribing and pain management visits

Management