Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of NPJ Genomic Medicine, 10(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41525-025-00464-w Dr. A. Papadopoulou et al.
Points
- The study identified 254 statistically significant links between genetically predicted height and diseases affecting the circulatory, metabolic, endocrine, and musculoskeletal systems.
- Across diverse populations, the most notable association in a sex-combined analysis was between genetically predicted height and atrial fibrillation.
- Increased height in European males was linked to lower anxiety, PTSD, and addiction risks, while in females, it was associated with benign digestive system neoplasms.
- The study uncovered novel associations, including links between height and mental health disorders, endocrine conditions, and hyperpotassemia in males.
- Findings highlight the value of multi-ancestry research for improving disease prediction, early diagnosis, and understanding the biological mechanisms behind height-related health risks.
Summary
This cohort study analyzed the relationship between telemedicine adoption and the use of low-value tests among fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries. The study included 2,381,084 Medicare beneficiaries across 286 U.S. health systems, which were categorized into quartiles based on their 2020 telemedicine adoption rates. The analysis used difference-in-differences (DiD) methodology, comparing beneficiaries in high-telemedicine-adopting systems to those in low-telemedicine-adopting systems from 2019 to 2022. The study aimed to evaluate telemedicine’s impact on the use of low-value tests and overall healthcare spending.
The results indicated that beneficiaries in high-telemedicine systems slightly increased total visits (DiD of 0.12 visits per beneficiary; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.21) but showed modest decreases in the use of 7 of the 20 observed low-value tests. These tests included cervical cancer screening (DiD: −0.45 percentage points [pp]; 95% CI, −0.72 to −0.17 pp), screening electrocardiograms (DiD: −1.30 pp; 95% CI, −1.96 to −0.65 pp), and imaging for uncomplicated low back pain (DiD: −1.66 pp; 95% CI, −2.35 to −0.98 pp), among others. Additionally, spending on visits was significantly lower for those in high-telemedicine systems (−$47.87 per beneficiary; 95% CI, −$86.85 to −$8.88), with reductions in spending on some low-value tests, though no overall change in low-value spending was observed.
The study’s findings suggest that telemedicine adoption is associated with reducing the use of certain low-value tests and modestly lower spending on visits and tests despite a slight increase in total visit rates. This indicates that telemedicine may offer potential benefits in reducing unnecessary healthcare utilization without contributing to excessive spending. However, the impact on other low-value tests remains limited, pointing to areas for further investigation.
Link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41525-025-00464-w
References Papadopoulou, A., Litkowski, E. M., Graff, M., Wang, Z., Smit, R. A. J., Chittoor, G., Dinsmore, I., Josyula, N. S., Lin, M., Shortt, J., Zhu, W., Vedantam, S. L., Yengo, L., Wood, A. R., Berndt, S. I., Holm, I. A., Mentch, F. D., Hakonarson, H., Kiryluk, K., … Marouli, E. (2025). Insights from the largest diverse ancestry sex-specific disease map for genetically predicted height. Npj Genomic Medicine, 10(1), 14. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41525-025-00464-w
