Telehealth Uptake and Rural-Urban and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum Care Access Among Medicaid Beneficiaries in South Carolina, 2018–2022
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9103134 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anirban Chatterjee (0000-0001-5844-8375, University of South Carolina, corresponding author), Xuzhuo Zhao (University of South Carolina), Jihong Liu (0000-0001-8685-3036, University of South Carolina), Berry A Campbell (0009-0009-9436-2881, University of South Carolina), Jiani Yu (0000-0002-7518-6220, Department of Population Health Sciences, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY), Nansi S Boghossian (0000-0001-7424-5148, University of South Carolina), Bo Cai (0000-0001-9386-8762, University of South Carolina), Xiaoming Li (0000-0002-5555-9034, University of South Carolina), Peiyin Hung (0000-0002-1529-0819, University of South Carolina, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 298-309 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medical Care (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0025-7079 • E-ISSN: 1537-1948 |
| Publisher | Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1097/mlr.0000000000002298 |
| PMID | 41778532 |
| OpenAlex | W7133526591 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 37 |
BACKGROUND: Although telehealth is increasingly being used for providing postpartum care, its role in ensuring timely postpartum care initiation in racial/ethnic minorities and rural residents is unknown. OBJECTIVES: To compare attendance and timeliness of postpartum care initiation by pandemic exposure and telehealth uptake across race/ethnicity and rural-urban residences. RESEARCH DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SUBJECTS: Medicaid-insured individuals who gave birth in South Carolina between January 1, 2018, and September 30, 2022, were aged 15-49 years, and were followed up until December 31, 2022. MEASURES: Cox proportional hazards models examined associations between pandemic exposures, telehealth uptake, and racial/ethnic and rural/urban disparities in postpartum care initiation timeliness. RESULTS: Median time to postpartum care initiation was 25 days [interquartile range (IQR): 14-41 d] with variations across race/ethnicity and residence. Fully-exposed nontelehealth users had slower initiation [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR): 0.95; 95% CI: 0.91-1.00], while telehealth users had quicker initiation (aHR: 2.19; 95% CI: 1.93-2.48) compared with non- or partially-exposed individuals. Among minimal- or no-telehealth users, postpartum care initiation was slower for Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black individuals compared with their non-Hispanic White peers. There were no differences in timely care initiation by race or residence among fully-exposed telehealth users. CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth may improve racial/ethnic disparities in timely postpartum care initiation. Rural-urban disparities in initiating timely postpartum care still warrant further investigation.
Attendance · Cohort study · Ethnic group · Medicaid · Pandemic · Postpartum period · Pregnancy · Telehealth · COVID-19 Impact on Reproduction · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
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Association of Health Insurance, Geography, and Race and Ethnicity With Disparities in Receipt of Recommended Postpartum Care in the US
Prenatal and Postpartum Care Disparities in a Large Medicaid Program
Healthcare Utilization in the Postpartum Period Among Illinois Women with Medicaid Paid Claims for Delivery, 2009–2010
Barriers to Postpartum Care
Rural–Urban Disparities in Adverse Maternal Outcomes in the United States, 2016–2019
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |