Abstract

In the absence of data indicating that older adults utilize information technology (IT) for communicating with health care providers or insurers, Medicare, private insurers and providers of health care have increasingly defaulted to use of websites and IT for patient communication. The Functional Assessment of Currently Employed Technology Scale (FACETS) assesses an individual’s use of various information technologies (ITs). Research using FACETS has demonstrated that use of the internet and other IT declines significantly with increasing age beyond 60 years, especially for accessing health care. In the context of the current COVID-19 crisis, Medicare’s restrictions on reimbursement for the use of the telephone for accessing health care are discussed as a barrier to care. Recommendations are made for increasing access to care, as well as increasing the use of FACETS to assess which media are most available to older adults for accessing health care.