| Course | HCI 311 Health Innovation Foundational Concepts |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 5 |
| Paper type | Telehealth analysis essay |
| Length | About 439 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BS in Health Innovation |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCI 311 Module 5
Convenient, but Cheaper? Telehealth Through Access, Quality and Cost
Student Name
BS in Health Innovation, Arizona State University
HCI 311: Health Innovation: Foundational Concepts
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Convenient, but Cheaper? Telehealth Through Access, Quality and Cost
Introduction
Telehealth, care delivered by video, phone or messaging, grew quickly as patients, employers and insurers looked for convenience and savings. The three aspects of care often used to judge any innovation, access, quality and cost, give a balanced way to evaluate it.
Access
Telehealth removes distance and time barriers. A worker can see a clinician on a lunch break, and a rural patient can avoid a long drive. For people with mobility limits or no transportation, a video visit may be the only realistic way to be seen at all. Access gains are uneven, however: in national data from 2018, about 38% of older adults were not ready for video visits because of disability or inexperience with technology (Lam et al., 2020).
Quality
For many minor conditions, such as rashes or simple infections, virtual visits can provide appropriate care. Quality concerns arise when a clinician cannot examine the patient. Among children with respiratory infections, 52% of direct-to-consumer telemedicine visits ended with an antibiotic, compared with 31% of primary care visits, and guideline-concordant management was less common (Ray et al., 2019). Concerns also arise when virtual visits are disconnected from a patient's regular doctor, fragmenting the record.
Cost
Many employers hoped telehealth would save money by replacing office and emergency visits. A study of more than 300,000 commercially insured patients found otherwise for acute respiratory illness: only about 12% of direct-to-consumer telehealth visits replaced visits to other providers, while 88% were new use, and net annual spending on these illnesses rose about $45 per telehealth user (Ashwood et al., 2017). Convenience created new demand.
Answers to the Module's Questions
1. What are telehealth's main benefits? Greater access and convenience, especially for people facing distance, time or mobility barriers.
2. What are its main risks? Uneven access for people without technology, possible overuse of tests or antibiotics and fragmented care when visits are not shared with a regular clinician.
3. How does payment shape it? Fee-for-service payment rewards more visits, so cheap, easy visits can raise total spending; payment tied to outcomes or to a patient's overall care would reward using telehealth where it substitutes for costlier care.
4. What should an innovator change? Link virtual visits to patients' usual clinicians, target telehealth to people for whom in-person care is hard to reach and measure total spending and outcomes, not visit counts.
Conclusion
Telehealth clearly improves access, can deliver good quality for appropriate problems and does not automatically save money. Its value depends on how it is designed and paid for, which is exactly where health innovators can make a difference.
References
Ashwood, J. S., Mehrotra, A., Cowling, D., & Uscher-Pines, L. (2017). Direct-to-consumer telehealth may increase access to care but does not decrease spending. Health Affairs, 36(3), 485-491. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1130
Lam, K., Lu, A. D., Shi, Y., & Covinsky, K. E. (2020). Assessing telemedicine unreadiness among older adults in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(10), 1389-1391. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.2671
Ray, K. N., Shi, Z., Gidengil, C. A., Poon, S. J., Uscher-Pines, L., & Mehrotra, A. (2019). Antibiotic prescribing during pediatric direct-to-consumer telemedicine visits. Pediatrics, 143(5), e20182491. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2491
What the HCI 311 Module 5 instructions ask for
The Telehealth Essay is the Module 5A written assignment in HCI 311, set in the module on health care finance, which covers why American health costs are so high, the advantages and disadvantages of payer systems and models of care in other countries. You examine telehealth through all three aspects of care and answer four questions provided in the module, so open the assignment page in Canvas and copy the questions into your outline before researching. Many students frame the three aspects as access, quality and cost, the classic triangle used to judge health care changes. Support each point with credible sources and use APA 7. Answer every module question directly and by number, so the grader can find each answer.
How the HCI 311 Module 5 example is put together
The sample introduces telehealth and the three aspects in two sentences. Separate sections on access, quality and cost each rest on a study: national data on older adults' readiness for video visits, a claims study of antibiotic prescribing in children's virtual visits and a claims study showing most virtual visits added rather than replaced care. Four numbered answers address benefits, risks, payment and improvements, and the conclusion ties telehealth's value to how it is designed and paid for. The numbered answers make each question easy for a grader to locate. Each section leads with the finding most relevant to that aspect of care, then explains what it means for patients and payers, so the answers to the module's questions grow naturally from the evidence above them.
Where the marks sit in the HCI 311 Module 5 rubric
Readers check that all three aspects of care are examined with evidence, that each module question is answered clearly, that the essay recognizes trade-offs rather than praising or dismissing telehealth and that every source is reputable and properly cited. Marks drop for essays built on assumptions, such as "telehealth saves money," without evidence; for skipping a question; for ignoring people without technology; and for confusing telehealth's convenience with its value. Specific numbers from studies strengthen each claim. Graders also reward essays that consider who pays and who benefits, since the module sits within health care finance, and that suggest how telehealth could be designed to deliver value rather than volume.
HCI 311 Module 5 help with common mistakes
Find one study for each aspect of care before you write. Look for claims-based or national data rather than vendor reports. Number your answers to the module questions. Consider who is left out by telehealth. Think about how payment rules change behavior. Keep the essay focused on the four questions and the three aspects. If you are unsure what the three aspects mean in your module, the desk can help. Keep each answer to a short paragraph. Check which questions your instructor posted and answer them in the same order. Use recent studies where possible, since telehealth rules and use have changed quickly.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HCI 311 Module 5 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HCI 311 Module 5 sample paper?
The full telehealth essay on access, quality and cost is on this page.
What are the three aspects of care for judging telehealth?
Commonly access, quality and cost.
Does telehealth save money?
In one large claims study, nearly nine in ten virtual visits were additional care rather than replacements, so spending per user went up slightly.
Are antibiotics overprescribed in telemedicine?
In one study of children's respiratory infections, 52% of direct-to-consumer telemedicine visits led to antibiotics versus 31% of primary care visits.
Who may be left out of telehealth?
People without devices, broadband or experience with technology, including many older adults.