JAMA: Teladoc doctors prescribe antibiotics at the same rate as in-person docs

Physicians who meet with patients via direct to consumer telemedicine services are just as likely to prescribe antibiotics as those who conduct in-person visits, according to a study conducted by Rand Corporation. The study was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Internal Medicine. The study examined health plan claims from 1,725 patients who used telemedicine service Teladoc and 64,099 who went in for an office visit. Visits were covered by the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). Researchers analyzed health claims from users who were continuously enrolled in CalPERS from April 2012 to October 2013 and visited with a physician one or more times for an acute respiratory infection (ARI).