DAY 2 - On-Demand Telehealth Platform Streamlines Care for Individuals with Gastrointestinal Symptoms Who Do Not Need Hospitalization

Gastroenterology (GI) practices can successfully integrate on-demand telehealth services, which represent an effective tool for reducing unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits. Specialized care provided over a telehealth platform may also solve the problem of long wait times, which are currently experienced by patients in most practices nationwide, according to findings presented Tuesday at the ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

“Digestive disorders represent the leading cause of treat-and-release from U.S. emergency departments, resulting in significant healthcare expenditures,” said lead author Naresh Gunaratnam, MD. “More than 15 million people are evaluated in the ED annually, but less than 20% of those are hospitalized. This results in over $30 billion unnecessary spending annually. Our group has previously demonstrated that telehealth is an effective way to provide GI care with high provider and patient satisfaction.”

In a retrospective analysis, Gunaratnam and colleagues evaluated the impact of integrating an on-demand virtual service provided by GI-trained advanced practice providers into their community-based practice in Minnesota. The study included 501 established patients of the single-specialty GI group who were seen or treated from late January to mid-April 2024. More than half (66%) of the participants were women, with ages ranging from 18 to 90 years.

The telehealth platform was used effectively to triage urgent, sub-urgent, and non-urgent cases, the author explained. A vast majority of patients (98%) were deemed appropriate for an initial telehealth encounter by a board-certified gastroenterologist. Most common complaints included abdominal pain, dyspepsia, dysphagia, diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, and constipation. Patients had a median visit length of 21 minutes, with an average wait time of 5.8 minutes.

The practice sent out a post-visit survey, seeking patients’ feedback about their experiences and the resolution of their complaints. While the response rate was low (14%), the patient satisfaction score was excellent (94%), suggesting that, in general, patients were satisfied with the care they received, Gunaratnam said.