IMPORTANCEThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has required a shift in health care delivery platforms, necessitating a new reliance on telemedicine. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether inequities are present in telemedicine use and video visit use for telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSIn this cohort study, a retrospective medical record review was conducted from March 16 to May 11, 2020, of all patients scheduled for telemedicine visits in primary care and specialty ambulatory clinics at a large academic health system. Age, race/ethnicity, sex, language, median household income, and insurance type were all identified from the electronic medical record. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESA successfully completed telemedicine visit and video (vs telephone) visit for a telemedicine encounter. Multivariable models were used to assess the association between sociodemographic factors, including sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and language, and the use of telemedicine visits, as well as video use specifically. RESULTSA total of 148 402 unique patients (86 055 women [58.0%]; mean [SD] age, 56.5 [17.7] years) had scheduled telemedicine visits during the study period; 80 780 patients (54.4%) completed visits. Of 78 539 patients with completed visits in which visit modality was specified, 35 824 (45.6%) were conducted via video, whereas 24 025 (56.9%) had a telephone visit. In multivariable models, older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.85 [95% CI, 0.83-0.88] for those aged [55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64] aOR, 0.75 [95% CI, for those aged 65-74 years; aOR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.64-0.70] for those aged Ն75 years), Asian race (aOR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.66-0.73]), non-English language as the patient's preferred language (aOR, 0.84 [95% CI, 0.78-0.90]), and Medicaid insurance (aOR, 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89-0.97]) were independently associated with fewer completed telemedicine visits.

BackgroundRegular physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular events, but most ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients do not obtain enough.Methods and ResultsACTIVE REWARD (A Clinical Trial Investigating Effects of a Randomized Evaluation of Wearable Activity Trackers with Financial Rewards) was a 24‐week home‐based, remotely monitored, randomized trial with a 16‐week intervention (8‐week ramp‐up incentive phase and 8‐week maintenance incentive phase) and an 8‐week follow‐up. Patients used wearable devices to track step counts and establish a baseline. Patients in control received no other interventions. Patients in the incentive arm received personalized step goals and daily feedback for all 24 weeks. In the ramp‐up incentive phase, daily step goals increased weekly by 15% from baseline with a maximum of 10 000 steps and then remained fixed. Each week, $14 was allocated to a virtual account; $2 could be lost per day for not achieving step goals. The primary outcome was change in mean daily steps from baseline to the maintenance incentive phase. Ischemic heart disease patients had a mean (SD) age of 60 (11) years and 70% were male. Compared with control, patients in the incentive arm had a significantly greater increase in mean daily steps from baseline during ramp‐up (1388 versus 385; adjusted difference, 1061 [95% confidence interval, 386–1736]; P<0.01), maintenance (1501 versus 264; adjusted difference, 1368 [95% confidence interval, 571–2164]; P<0.001), and follow‐up (1066 versus 92; adjusted difference, 1154 [95% confidence interval, 282–2027]; P<0.01).ConclusionsLoss‐framed financial incentives with personalized goal setting significantly increased physical activity among ischemic heart disease patients using wearable devices during the 16‐week intervention, and effects were sustained during the 8‐week follow‐up.Clinical Trial Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02531022.

Cardiovascular complications following the receipt of mRNA-based (Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have not yet been described. In this case series, we describe two patients with clinically suspected myocarditis, one patient with stress cardiomyopathy, and two patients with pericarditis after receiving an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. The two patients with clinically suspected myocarditis were otherwise healthy young men who presented with acute substernal chest pressure and/or dyspnea after receiving the second dose of the vaccine and were found to have diffuse ST elevations on electrocardiogram (ECG), elevated cardiac biomarkers and inflammatory markers, and mildly reduced left ventricular (LV) function on echocardiography. Both patients met the modified Lake Louise Criteria for acute myocarditis by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. We subsequently discuss a case of a 60-year-old woman with known coronary artery disease (CAD) and previously normal LV function, who presented with new exertional symptoms, ECG changes, and apical akinesis following the second dose of the vaccine, and was diagnosed with a stress cardiomyopathy. Finally, we describe two patients with pericarditis who presented with chest pain, elevated inflammatory markers, and pericardial effusions after receiving the vaccine. Overall, this case series describes the first reported cases of myocarditis, stress cardiomyopathy, and pericarditis after receiving an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.