Pd08-01 Telemedicine Visit Type and Patient Satisfaction and Costs Among Patients With Urologic Cancer

You have accessJournal of UrologyHealth Services Research: Value of Care: Cost and Outcomes I (PD08) 1 May 2024PD08-01 TELEMEDICINE VISIT TYPE AND PATIENT SATISFACTION AND COSTS AMONG PATIENTS WITH UROLOGIC CANCER Daniel Carson, Sam Simpson, Adam Gadzinski, Sarah Holt, Blair Stewart, Erika Wolff, Chad Ellimootil, and John Gore Daniel CarsonDaniel Carson, Sam SimpsonSam Simpson, Adam GadzinskiAdam Gadzinski, Sarah HoltSarah Holt, Blair StewartBlair Stewart, Erika WolffErika Wolff, Chad EllimootilChad Ellimootil, and John GoreJohn Gore View All Author Informationhttps: //doi. org/10. 1097/01. JU. 0001008576. 33217. 96. 01AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: US states eased licensing restrictions on telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic allowing broad use irrespective of visit type. As waivers expire, optimal uses of telemedicine must be assessed to inform policy, legislation, and clinical care. We assessed whether telemedicine visits provided the same patient experience as in-person visits, stratified by whether these were new or established patient visits, and examined the financial burden. METHODS: Patients from the WWAMI region (including Oregon and Hawaii, but excluding Wyoming) seen in person and via telemedicine for urologic cancer care at a major regional cancer center received a survey after their first appointment (August 2019–June 2022) on satisfaction with care, perceptions of communication during their visit, travel time, travel costs, and days of work missed. We assessed patient-reported outcomes after their visit with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Surveys were completed for 1, 031 patient visits (N=494 new patient visits, N=537 established patient visits). Satisfaction rates were high for all visit types, both new and established (mean score 59. 9–60. 7 maximum 63, p>0. 05). There was no difference in patient-rated quality of the encounter across visit type and modality (in-person vs. telemedicine, p>0. 06 for nearly all comparisons). Patients presenting for telemedicine visits were more likely to believe that visits could be accomplished without physical exam, regardless of visit type (p<0. 02). New in-person patient visits were associated with significantly higher travel costs (mean estimated visit costs 496. 10, SD 1021) compared with new telemedicine visits (mean costs 26. 70, SD 141 - p<0. 001) ; 27% of patients receiving new in-person care required plane travel and 41% required a hotel stay (p<0. 001 compared with 0. 8% and 3. 2% of new telemedicine patients, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine appointments may increase access for rural-residing patients with cancer. Satisfaction outcomes among patients with urologic cancer receiving new patient telemedicine care equaled those of new patients cared for in-person; costs were markedly lower. Extending telemedicine exemptions beyond COVID-19 licensing waivers to include new patient visits would permit continued delivery of high-quality urologic cancer care to rural-residing patients. A notable limitation of this study is the large geographic breadth of the cancer center catchment compared with other areas of the US, possible limiting generalizability. Source of Funding: Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Award, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) Young Investigator Award, Swim Across America, and NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA015704 © 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 211Issue 5SMay 2024Page: e173 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Metrics Author Information Daniel Carson More articles by this author Sam Simpson More articles by this author Adam Gadzinski More articles by this author Sarah Holt More articles by this author Blair Stewart More articles by this author Erika Wolff More articles by this author Chad Ellimootil More articles by this author John Gore More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading. . .