S1234 Maintaining Continuity of Gastroenterology Services at a Large Private Academic Medical Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Social distancing mandates and temporary changes in telemedicine reimbursements have led to wide-scale adoption of telemedicine services in primary care and specialty clinics. In this study, we evaluated patient and provider satisfaction of the expanded use of telemedicine within our facility. METHODS: Patients originally scheduled or referred to Baylor Medicine Gastroenterology Clinic were offered telemedicine appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Video-based telemedicine visits from April 20 to May 5, 2020 were included. Patient demographics were obtained by chart review.Telephone questionnaires to assess patient satisfaction on care and quality were administered by personnel not involved in patient care. Questionnaires were also administered to providers to assess satisfaction and feasibility of telemedicine to evaluate disease states and symptoms. Satisfaction was assessed using a 5-point Likert scale (5 = very satisfied). Summary statistics were performed. RESULTS: In 15 days, 18 providers completed 268 visits. Of these,144 (54%) patients responded to the surveys. Median age was 49.5 years, 68% were female, 63% were White, and 97% had high school education or above. Median distance from the study site was 26 miles. Average patient satisfaction of provider care was 4.9 ± 0.3, and 89.5% would participate in a telemedicine encounter again even after the pandemic ceases. Average satisfaction with the interface quality was 4.6 ± 0.8, and average ease of set-up of 1.9 ± 1.4 (1 = very easy). Patients reported median savings of 90 minutes and $15 per visit. Of the 8 providers who responded to the survey, average provider satisfaction was 4 ± 0.5, and average likelihood of future telemedicine use independent of institutional policy was 4.8 ± 0.5 (5 = very likely). Technical difficulties were noted in 1.3% of visits and important physical exam findings were unable to be elicited in 1.3% of visits. Figure 1 shows the feasibility of providers to evaluate diseases or symptoms during video-enabled telemedicine encounters. CONCLUSION: Given very high patient and provider satisfaction with telemedicine use along with substantial time and money savings to patients, telemedicine is a viable way to provide care in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given its significant success, use of telemedicine for routine specialty visits should be evaluated and considered independent of social distancing mandates.Figure 1