A telemedicine-based diabetic retinopathy screening program eliminated the need for more than 14,000 visits to specialty care professionals, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Researchers examined the use of telemedicine for diabetic retinopathy screenings at five Los Angeles County Department of Health Services safety net clinics, from Sept. 1, 2013, to Dec. 31, 2015. They studied annual diabetic retinopathy screening rates at the clinics before and after the telemedicine intervention was incorporated.
Among the 21,222 patients who underwent the screening, the median time to screening for diabetic retinopathy decreased from 158 days before the intervention to 17 days, after the intervention was established.
Of the patients who were screened, 68.8 percent did not require referral to an eye care professional, while 19.6 percent were referred for treatment or monitoring of diabetic retinopathy and 11.6 percent were referred for other ophthalmologic conditions.
Implementation of the telemedicine program at 15 Los Angeles County Department of Health Services safety net clinics resulted in a 16.3 percent increase in annual screening rates and an 89.2 percent reduction in wait times for screening.