Report: Telemedicine's Convenience Drives More Doctor Visits

Making it easier to access health care through services such as telemedicine or retail clinics seems to increase the number of doctor visits and could drive up health care spending, according to research from the Rand Corp. In a study published this month in the journal Health Affairs, researchers from the nonprofit organization analyzed the behavior of about 300,000 people whose health benefits included coverage for doctor visits via telemedicine, which the patients could initiate on their own. The study found that 12% of the telemedicine visits replaced visits to doctors' offices or em...