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TOPLINE:
Converting late cancellations and no-show appointments to telemedicine visits increases access to care without the need for rescheduling, according to new research.
METHODOLOGY:
- Investigators identified adult rheumatology patients with late cancellations (within 24 hours of appointment) or impending no-show appointments from September 2020 to March 2023.
- These patients were contacted and were offered the option of converting their in-person appointment to a telemedicine visit, either by phone or video.
- The program was piloted at one clinic beginning Sept. 1, 2020, and was expanded to a second clinic on Sept. 1, 2021.
TAKEAWAY:
- Of 624 eligible visits, 516 (83%) were converted to telehealth visits. Phone visits were slightly more popular than video visits (54% vs. 46%, respectively).
- Patients who were older, who lived in a rural area, or who were on Medicare and Medicaid were more likely to opt for phone visits.
- The intervention resulted in an additional 258 hours of patient care.
- The reduction in lost revenue for phone versus video telemedicine visits was $7,298 ($39.19 per appointment).
IN PRACTICE:
“Our simple, targeted strategy of converting appointments to telehealth when an in-person appointment is identified as at-risk resulted in significant access gains and modest revenue loss reduction,” with net gains overall, the authors write.
SOURCE:
Sancia Ferguson MD, MPH, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine, presented the research at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, abstract 1007.
LIMITATIONS:
The study was conducted at two clinics in the UW Health system and may not be implementable in smaller practices.
DISCLOSURES:
Senior author Christie Bartels, MD, also of University of Washington-Madison School of Medicine, reports receiving a research grant from Pfizer unrelated to this study.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
Converting late cancellations and no-show appointments to telemedicine visits increases access to care without the need for rescheduling, according to new research.
METHODOLOGY:
- Investigators identified adult rheumatology patients with late cancellations (within 24 hours of appointment) or impending no-show appointments from September 2020 to March 2023.
- These patients were contacted and were offered the option of converting their in-person appointment to a telemedicine visit, either by phone or video.
- The program was piloted at one clinic beginning Sept. 1, 2020, and was expanded to a second clinic on Sept. 1, 2021.
TAKEAWAY:
- Of 624 eligible visits, 516 (83%) were converted to telehealth visits. Phone visits were slightly more popular than video visits (54% vs. 46%, respectively).
- Patients who were older, who lived in a rural area, or who were on Medicare and Medicaid were more likely to opt for phone visits.
- The intervention resulted in an additional 258 hours of patient care.
- The reduction in lost revenue for phone versus video telemedicine visits was $7,298 ($39.19 per appointment).
IN PRACTICE:
“Our simple, targeted strategy of converting appointments to telehealth when an in-person appointment is identified as at-risk resulted in significant access gains and modest revenue loss reduction,” with net gains overall, the authors write.
SOURCE:
Sancia Ferguson MD, MPH, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine, presented the research at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, abstract 1007.
LIMITATIONS:
The study was conducted at two clinics in the UW Health system and may not be implementable in smaller practices.
DISCLOSURES:
Senior author Christie Bartels, MD, also of University of Washington-Madison School of Medicine, reports receiving a research grant from Pfizer unrelated to this study.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
Converting late cancellations and no-show appointments to telemedicine visits increases access to care without the need for rescheduling, according to new research.
METHODOLOGY:
- Investigators identified adult rheumatology patients with late cancellations (within 24 hours of appointment) or impending no-show appointments from September 2020 to March 2023.
- These patients were contacted and were offered the option of converting their in-person appointment to a telemedicine visit, either by phone or video.
- The program was piloted at one clinic beginning Sept. 1, 2020, and was expanded to a second clinic on Sept. 1, 2021.
TAKEAWAY:
- Of 624 eligible visits, 516 (83%) were converted to telehealth visits. Phone visits were slightly more popular than video visits (54% vs. 46%, respectively).
- Patients who were older, who lived in a rural area, or who were on Medicare and Medicaid were more likely to opt for phone visits.
- The intervention resulted in an additional 258 hours of patient care.
- The reduction in lost revenue for phone versus video telemedicine visits was $7,298 ($39.19 per appointment).
IN PRACTICE:
“Our simple, targeted strategy of converting appointments to telehealth when an in-person appointment is identified as at-risk resulted in significant access gains and modest revenue loss reduction,” with net gains overall, the authors write.
SOURCE:
Sancia Ferguson MD, MPH, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine, presented the research at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, abstract 1007.
LIMITATIONS:
The study was conducted at two clinics in the UW Health system and may not be implementable in smaller practices.
DISCLOSURES:
Senior author Christie Bartels, MD, also of University of Washington-Madison School of Medicine, reports receiving a research grant from Pfizer unrelated to this study.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.
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All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, copied, or otherwise reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of Frontline Medical Communications Inc.</copyrightNotice> </rightsInfo> </provider> <abstract/> <metaDescription>Converting late cancellations and no-show appointments to telemedicine visits increases access to care without the need for rescheduling, according to new resea</metaDescription> <articlePDF/> <teaserImage/> <teaser>Converting these missed appointments to telemedicine resulted in more than 250 additional hours of patient care as well as moderate revenue loss reduction.</teaser> <title>Telemedicine offers solution for late cancellations and no-show appointments</title> <deck/> <disclaimer/> <AuthorList/> <articleURL/> <doi/> <pubMedID/> <publishXMLStatus/> <publishXMLVersion>1</publishXMLVersion> <useEISSN>0</useEISSN> <urgency/> <pubPubdateYear/> <pubPubdateMonth/> <pubPubdateDay/> <pubVolume/> <pubNumber/> <wireChannels/> <primaryCMSID/> <CMSIDs/> <keywords/> <seeAlsos/> <publications_g> <publicationData> <publicationCode>rn</publicationCode> <pubIssueName/> <pubArticleType/> <pubTopics/> <pubCategories/> <pubSections/> </publicationData> </publications_g> <publications> <term canonical="true">26</term> </publications> <sections> <term canonical="true">53</term> <term>39313</term> </sections> <topics> <term canonical="true">38029</term> </topics> <links/> </header> <itemSet> <newsItem> <itemMeta> <itemRole>Main</itemRole> <itemClass>text</itemClass> <title>Telemedicine offers solution for late cancellations and no-show appointments</title> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> <h2>TOPLINE:</h2> <p>Converting late cancellations and no-show appointments to telemedicine visits increases access to care without the need for rescheduling, according to new research.</p> <h2>METHODOLOGY:</h2> <ul class="body"> <li>Investigators identified adult rheumatology patients with late cancellations (within 24 hours of appointment) or impending no-show appointments from September 2020 to March 2023.</li> <li>These patients were contacted and were offered the option of converting their in-person appointment to a telemedicine visit, either by phone or video.</li> <li>The program was piloted at one clinic beginning Sept. 1, 2020, and was expanded to a second clinic on Sept. 1, 2021.</li> </ul> <h2>TAKEAWAY:</h2> <ul class="body"> <li>Of 624 eligible visits, 516 (83%) were converted to telehealth visits. Phone visits were slightly more popular than video visits (54% vs. 46%, respectively).</li> <li>Patients who were older, who lived in a rural area, or who were on Medicare and Medicaid were more likely to opt for phone visits.</li> <li>The intervention resulted in an additional 258 hours of patient care.</li> <li>The reduction in lost revenue for phone versus video telemedicine visits was $7,298 ($39.19 per appointment).</li> </ul> <h2>IN PRACTICE:</h2> <p>“Our simple, targeted strategy of converting appointments to telehealth when an in-person appointment is identified as at-risk resulted in significant access gains and modest revenue loss reduction,” with net gains overall, the authors write.</p> <h2>SOURCE:</h2> <p>Sancia Ferguson MD, MPH, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine, presented the research at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, <span class="Hyperlink"><a href="https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/telehealth-conversion-a-strategy-for-optimizing-ambulatory-access/">abstract 1007</a></span>.</p> <h2>LIMITATIONS:</h2> <p>The study was conducted at two clinics in the UW Health system and may not be implementable in smaller practices.</p> <h2>DISCLOSURES:</h2> <p>Senior author Christie Bartels, MD, also of University of Washington-Madison School of Medicine, reports receiving a research grant from Pfizer unrelated to this study.<span class="end"/></p> <p> <em>A version of this article appeared on <span class="Hyperlink"><a href="https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/998714">Medscape.com</a></span>.</em> </p> </itemContent> </newsItem> <newsItem> <itemMeta> <itemRole>teaser</itemRole> <itemClass>text</itemClass> <title/> <deck/> </itemMeta> <itemContent> </itemContent> </newsItem> </itemSet></root>