In a new study, a researcher from The University of Texas at Dallas investigated whether telemedicine could enhance ER care delivery. With the sharp rise in ER visits and critical shortages of emergency care physicians, ER overcrowding is not abating, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic strains the capacity of hospitals nationwide. ER telemedicine improves an on-call physician’s efficiency through transportation elimination and smoother workflow, which can shorten a patient’s wait for physicians. The study provides health care decision-makers with a careful examination of the causal implications of ER telemedicine on care delivery efficiency, care quality and medical expenditure. “When more and more hospitals join the resource-sharing network, telemedicine will have great potential to rebalance the geographically imbalanced health care resources and reduce health care access disparity,” she said.