Glaucoma ideal for telehealth integration
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WASHINGTON — Telehealth became a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic and is likely to continue to play an important role in glaucoma care in the future.
In his presentation at Glaucoma Day at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting, Jacob W. Brubaker, MD, said glaucoma is an ideal specialty for telehealth, particularly hybrid telehealth visits. But in 2019, he felt differently.
“Telehealth will never work in ophthalmology because we actually need to see our patients to be able to take care of them,” he quoted himself as saying then.
Brubaker said that telehealth visits took off at the onset of the pandemic and have remained at a relatively constant rate even though in-person visits have resumed.
Hybrid models that include an in-person visit and telehealth counseling have the potential to be better for patients. Before the pandemic, Brubaker said a visit to assess a patient’s visual field typically included a long wait between undergoing the test and seeing the physician. Now, hybrid visits allow patients to leave after the test and go over the results later in a video call.
Brubaker said he does telehealth visits using a tablet, which allows him to flip the camera to show patients their results on his computer. He finds that the education they receive is better than the previous methods he used, and because telehealth visits are quicker, he can see more patients, which can be beneficial to a practice.
“I feel like telehealth is here to stay,” Brubaker said. “Developing a protocol and billing acumen can really enhance efficiency and patient safety.”
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Brubaker JW. Zoom into the future: Bringing telehealth into your daily. Presented at: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting; April 22-26, 2022; Washington.
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