Access to consultative dermatologic care via physician-to-physician asynchronous outpatient teledermatology.
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MANAGED CARE 2021;
27:30-32. [PMID:
33471459 DOI:
10.37765/ajmc.2021.88574]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES
To determine whether physician-to-physician outpatient asynchronous store-and-forward teledermatology can be a portal for patient access to consultative dermatologic care and decrease primary care physician referrals to dermatology.
STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective study.
METHODS
Reviewed outpatient teledermatology consults completed within a shared Epic electronic health record at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health System between August 4, 2013, and December 19, 2019. Study data were reviewed for consult response time and triage percentage. Patient and physician experiences were collected by satisfaction surveys.
RESULTS
This study reviewed 1581 teledermatology consults that originated from UPMC primary care provider (PCP) appointments. The average response time for a completed consult was 1 hour, 13 minutes for same-day consult submissions. The majority of consults, 63%, were completed online, whereas only 37% of patients were recommended for an in-person referral visit to the dermatology clinic. Surveyed patients (81%) and PCPs (90%) responded positively to their teledermatology experience.
CONCLUSIONS
Physician-to-physician outpatient asynchronous teledermatology consults can provide a model for rapid consultation and decreased primary care referral to dermatology.
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