Telemedicine use in 2023 reduced monthly carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas operated vehicles, suggesting it could have a positive effect on climate change, new UCLA-led research finds.
Telemedicine use in 2023 reduced monthly carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas operated vehicles, suggesting it could have a positive effect on climate change, new UCLA-led research finds.
The findings, published(Link is external) in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Managed Care, suggest that telemedicine could have a modest but noticeable impact on the environment by decreasing the number of vehicles traveling to and from medical appointments. They could also have policy implications, said co-senior author Dr. John N. Mafi, associate professor-in-residence of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA(Link is external).
“As Congress debates whether to extend or modify pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, our results provide important evidence for policymakers to consider, namely that telemedicine has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of US health care delivery,” Mafi said.
The U.S. health system now contributes about 9%, and transportation comprises about 29%, of greenhouse emissions in the country, the researchers write in the paper.
Read more at University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
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