MP02-17 CURRENT STATE OF TELEUROLOGY: PREVALENCE, BARRIERS AND REIMBURSEMENT

Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyGeneral & Epidemiological Trends & Socioeconomics: Practice Patterns, Quality of Life and Shared Decision Making I (MP02)1 Apr 2020MP02-17 CURRENT STATE OF TELEUROLOGY: PREVALENCE, BARRIERS AND REIMBURSEMENT Eric Kirshenbaum*, Eugene Rhee, Danil Makarov, Jeremy Shelton, Chad Ellimoottil, Raymond Fang, and Christopher Gonzalez Eric Kirshenbaum*Eric Kirshenbaum* More articles by this author , Eugene RheeEugene Rhee More articles by this author , Danil MakarovDanil Makarov More articles by this author , Jeremy SheltonJeremy Shelton More articles by this author , Chad EllimoottilChad Ellimoottil More articles by this author , Raymond FangRaymond Fang More articles by this author , and Christopher GonzalezChristopher Gonzalez More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000000816.017AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Utilization of telemedicine across numerous medical specialties in the United States has been increasing slowly in spite of its potential to improve the quality of care. We sought to determine the prevalence of telemedicine use among urologists, determine the barriers to its widespread implementation and assess current reimbursement patterns. METHODS: We used the 2018 AUA Annual Census for our analysis. First, we performed descriptive statistics around questions related to telemedicine use and reimbursement. Then we used to Person chi-squared test to identify factors associated with telemedicine utilization. RESULTS: In 2018, 13,128 urologists responded to the survey and 1,536 (11.7%) respondents stated that they use telemedicine. The most common payers for telemedicine include HMOs, institutional, self-pay and Medicare (23.7%, 19.4%, 19.1% and 16.1% respectively). Urologist practicing in urban areas were the most likely to utilize telehealth (16.7%) compared to those in suburban (7.5%) or rural areas (6%) p<0.001. In terms of geographic distribution, urologist in the New York and Western Sections were the most likely to participate in telemedicine (14.1% and 19.8%) while the Northeastern and South central sections were the least likely (6.6% and 8.0%). Gender and age were not significantly associated with telemedicine utilization. Practices utilizing advanced practice providers were more likely to participate in telemedicine. (13.6% vs 8.0%, p=0.021). Lastly, the largest barrier to implementation was reimbursement concerns with 57.5% of urologists expressing concerns regarding payments. CONCLUSIONS: One of 10 urologists currently use telemedicine and there is higher use by urologists in urban areas and those that have advanced practice providers. Concerns about reimbursement remain a large barrier to implementation. Source of Funding: None © 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 203Issue Supplement 4April 2020Page: e18-e19 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Eric Kirshenbaum* More articles by this author Eugene Rhee More articles by this author Danil Makarov More articles by this author Jeremy Shelton More articles by this author Chad Ellimoottil More articles by this author Raymond Fang More articles by this author Christopher Gonzalez More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...