Abstract

You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023MP12-11 EVALUATION OF BLADDER CANCER PATIENTS’ UTILIZATION OF UROLOGIC TELEHEALTH SERVICES Steven Goldenthal, Tasha Posid, Victor Heh, Dairon Denis-Diaz, Hafsa Asif, Chase Arnold, Henry Gold, Amara Ndumele, Sabrina Amin, Matthew Lierz, Vivian Xu, Tyler Cronin, Aliza Khuhro, Omar Alshami, and Cheryl Lee Steven GoldenthalSteven Goldenthal More articles by this author , Tasha PosidTasha Posid More articles by this author , Victor HehVictor Heh More articles by this author , Dairon Denis-DiazDairon Denis-Diaz More articles by this author , Hafsa AsifHafsa Asif More articles by this author , Chase ArnoldChase Arnold More articles by this author , Henry GoldHenry Gold More articles by this author , Amara NdumeleAmara Ndumele More articles by this author , Sabrina AminSabrina Amin More articles by this author , Matthew LierzMatthew Lierz More articles by this author , Vivian XuVivian Xu More articles by this author , Tyler CroninTyler Cronin More articles by this author , Aliza KhuhroAliza Khuhro More articles by this author , Omar AlshamiOmar Alshami More articles by this author , and Cheryl LeeCheryl Lee More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003227.11AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Infection control practices and public policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic shifted healthcare practices towards a telemedicine format. Even two years after peak onset of the pandemic, many clinics, including our own institution, maintain a working telehealth option for patient visits, with some patients even preferring this modality of care delivery. Our objective was to evaluate patient utilization of telehealth visits versus in-person visits at our institution and whether this was impacted by demographics, medical history, and socioeconomic factors. METHODS: Medical Record Numbers for all patients with bladder cancer were pulled via accessible billing-level data from the period 7/1/2019-2/28/2022. Chart review was conducted to pull clinical data on patients including telehealth versus in person visits, demographic data, clinical stage, comorbidities (diabetes, smoking status, BMI), rural/urban status by zip code (>50,000, <50,000 individuals) and income levels by zip code (25K-49.9K, 50K-99.9K, <100K), payor status, patient distance, and gas savings/carbon footprint. RESULTS: 430 patients completed in person visits while 268 completed telehealth visits. There was no statistically significant difference for in person visits vs. telehealth visits regarding patients’ race (p=0.541), ethnicity (p=0.394) age (p=0.862), urban/rural status (p=0.507), payor status (p=0.127), mean zip code income (p=0.175), and comorbidities (p=0.626 for diabetes, p=0.706 for smoking, p=0.459 for BMI), and clinical stage (p=0.07). There was a statistically significant difference in mean distance (14.85 miles versus 26.86 miles, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Post-pandemic, telehealth usage and acceptability among patients with bladder cancer remains high. Patients’ with bladder cancer receive care from their urologist via in person visits versus telehealth at similar rates irrespective of their urban/rural status, demographics, payor status, relevant comorbidities, or relative income. Patients are more likely to engage in care with their urologist via telehealth if they live farther from a large urban academic center, which produces an economical and environmental impact via gas/time savings and reduced carbon footprint. Source of Funding: None © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e137 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Steven Goldenthal More articles by this author Tasha Posid More articles by this author Victor Heh More articles by this author Dairon Denis-Diaz More articles by this author Hafsa Asif More articles by this author Chase Arnold More articles by this author Henry Gold More articles by this author Amara Ndumele More articles by this author Sabrina Amin More articles by this author Matthew Lierz More articles by this author Vivian Xu More articles by this author Tyler Cronin More articles by this author Aliza Khuhro More articles by this author Omar Alshami More articles by this author Cheryl Lee More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

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