Abstract Details

Title A Multicenter Profile of Tele-Neuro-Ophthalmology Care in Indiana

Topic Neuro-ophthalmology/Neuro-otology

Presentation(s) Neuro-ophthalmology/Neuro-otology Posters (7:00 AM-5:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 002

Background The COVID-19 pandemic forced healthcare providers worldwide to rapidly adopt telemedicine. The necessity of maintaining access to care for high-risk patients and considering patient preference in appropriate situations has expanded telehealth services within neuro-ophthalmology.

Objective To assess characteristics of neuro-ophthalmology patients evaluated via telemedicine compared to in-person office visits

Design/Methods The study consisted of a multicenter retrospective case series that compared demographic and diagnostic data of neuro-ophthalmic patients from academic and private practices in the pre-COVID and peri-COVID era.

Results 358 neuro-ophthalmic examinations on 311 patients between March 15, 2020 and June 15, 2020 were reviewed. A control cohort (456 examinations, 444 patients) was reviewed from the same time interval in 2019. During the early peri-COVID period, 101 (28.2%) visits were performed via telehealth or other remote service, with 85 (84.2%) of those telehealth visits being performed by video. Patients with afferent disease were more likely to be evaluated in the office (n=171, 66.5%) compared to telehealth (n=55, 54.5%), while patients with efferent disease were more likely to be evaluated via telehealth (n=38, 37.6%) compared to in the office (n=59, 23.0%). Likewise, most new visits were evaluated in the office (n=159, 76.8%), with a lesser majority of established visits still evaluated in the office (n=98, 64.9%). Patients who were evaluated via telemedicine tended to live farther away from the corresponding outpatient clinic (55.3 ± 52.4 miles, median 34.3 miles) than those evaluated in the clinic (48.4 ± 45.1 miles, median 30.5 miles).

Conclusions Tele-neuro-ophthalmology is a developing modality. While its early implementation is still limited, telehealth may be beneficial for neuro-ophthalmic evaluation of patients who live farther away or who have problems amenable to telehealth evaluation. Tele-neuro-ophthalmology is a promising tool for delivering effective neuro-ophthalmic care beyond the scope of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors/Disclosures
Divya Chauhan, MD PRESENTER	Dr. Chauhan has nothing to disclose.
Melissa W. Ko, MD, FAAN (Indiana University Neuroscience Center)	Dr. Ko has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for AAN. The institution of Dr. Ko has received research support from HRSA. Dr. Ko has received research support from IU Health.
Heather Moss, MD, PhD, FAAN (Spencer Center for Vision Research at Stanford)	Dr. Moss has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Twenty Twenty Therapeutics. Dr. Moss has received personal compensation in the range of $100,000-$499,999 for serving as a Consultant for Verana Health. Dr. Moss has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Medlink Inc. Dr. Moss has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as an Expert Witness for Legal Firms. The institution of Dr. Moss has received research support from NIH. The institution of Dr. Moss has received research support from Department of Defense. The institution of Dr. Moss has received research support from Research to Prevent Blindness. Dr. Moss has received intellectual property interests from a discovery or technology relating to health care. Dr. Moss has received personal compensation in the range of $0-$499 for serving as a grant review panel with NASA. Dr. Moss has received personal compensation in the range of $0-$499 for serving as a grant review panel with National Institutes of Health. Dr. Moss has a non-compensated relationship as a Board of Directors with North American Neuro-ophthalmology Society that is relevant to AAN interests or activities.
Devin D. Mackay, MD (Indiana University)	Dr. Mackay has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as a Consultant for Optum. Dr. Mackay has received personal compensation in the range of $50,000-$99,999 for serving as an Expert Witness for various law firms.
	No disclosure on file