TY - JOUR
T1 - Telemedicine and Otolaryngology in the COVID-19 Era
AU - Nguyen, Brandon K.
AU - Eltahir, Hafiah Z.
AU - Barinsky, Gregory L.
AU - Ying, Yu Lan Mary
AU - Hsueh, Wayne D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - Objective: The global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in an expansion of telemedicine. The purpose of this study is to present our experience with outpatient telemedicine visits within a single institution’s Department of Otolaryngology during the initial COVID-19 era. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: This was a single-institution study conducted within the Department of Otolaryngology at an urban tertiary care center. Data on outpatient visits was obtained from billing and scheduling records from January 6 to May 28, 2020. Visits were divided into “pre-shutdown” and “post-shutdown” based on our state’s March 23, 2020 COVID-19 shutdown date. Results: A total of 3447 of 4340 (79.4%) scheduled visits were completed in the pre-shutdown period as compared to 1451 of 1713 (84.7%) in the post-shutdown period. The proportion of telemedicine visits increased (0.7%-81.2%, P <.001). Overall visit completion rate increased following the shutdown (80.2%-84.7%, P <.001). Subspecialties with an increase in visit completion rate were general (76.9%-88.0%, P =.002), otology (77.4%-87.2%, P <.001), and rhinology (80.0%-86.2%, P =.003). Patients with Medicaid and Medicare had higher appointment completion rates following the transition to telemedicine visits (80.7%-85.7%, P =.002; 76.9%-84.7%, P =.001). Older age was associated with decreased appointment cancellation pre-shutdown (OR 0.994 [0.991-0.997], P <.001) but increased appointment cancellation post-shutdown (OR 1.008 [1.001-1.014], P =.015). Mean COVID-19 risk scores were unchanged (P =.654). Conclusions: COVID-19 has led to major changes in outpatient practice, with a significant shift from in-person to telemedicine visits following the mandatory shutdown. An associated increase in appointment completion rates was observed, reflecting a promising viable alternative to meet patient needs during this unprecedented time.
AB - Objective: The global Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in an expansion of telemedicine. The purpose of this study is to present our experience with outpatient telemedicine visits within a single institution’s Department of Otolaryngology during the initial COVID-19 era. Study Design: Retrospective chart review. Methods: This was a single-institution study conducted within the Department of Otolaryngology at an urban tertiary care center. Data on outpatient visits was obtained from billing and scheduling records from January 6 to May 28, 2020. Visits were divided into “pre-shutdown” and “post-shutdown” based on our state’s March 23, 2020 COVID-19 shutdown date. Results: A total of 3447 of 4340 (79.4%) scheduled visits were completed in the pre-shutdown period as compared to 1451 of 1713 (84.7%) in the post-shutdown period. The proportion of telemedicine visits increased (0.7%-81.2%, P <.001). Overall visit completion rate increased following the shutdown (80.2%-84.7%, P <.001). Subspecialties with an increase in visit completion rate were general (76.9%-88.0%, P =.002), otology (77.4%-87.2%, P <.001), and rhinology (80.0%-86.2%, P =.003). Patients with Medicaid and Medicare had higher appointment completion rates following the transition to telemedicine visits (80.7%-85.7%, P =.002; 76.9%-84.7%, P =.001). Older age was associated with decreased appointment cancellation pre-shutdown (OR 0.994 [0.991-0.997], P <.001) but increased appointment cancellation post-shutdown (OR 1.008 [1.001-1.014], P =.015). Mean COVID-19 risk scores were unchanged (P =.654). Conclusions: COVID-19 has led to major changes in outpatient practice, with a significant shift from in-person to telemedicine visits following the mandatory shutdown. An associated increase in appointment completion rates was observed, reflecting a promising viable alternative to meet patient needs during this unprecedented time.
KW - COVID-19
KW - outpatient
KW - practice patterns
KW - telemedicine
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U2 - https://doi.org/10.1177/00034894221081613
DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/00034894221081613
M3 - Article
C2 - 35227085
SN - 0003-4894
VL - 132
SP - 148
EP - 154
JO - Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
JF - Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology
IS - 2
ER -