Response to the influence of teledermatology on health care access and equity

Abstract

To the Editor: We thank Hadeler and his co-authors for their support of our research and for providing additional context regarding telemedicine's impact on health care access and equity.Although we found that teledermatology services performed during the COVID-19 pandemic benefitted minority and Medicaid patients, Hadeler et al highlight previous survey-based studies from 2011 and 2013 to 2016 that demonstrated these patients were the least likely to utilize telemedicine. We believe there are 2 key factors that likely contributed to the increased appointment attendance among minority and Medicaid patients found in our study reflecting the rapidly evolving landscape of telemedicine. These factors are also notable, as they have implications for future access to telemedicine.