With the emergence of accountable care organizations, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), and alternative payment models, health systems are incentivized to evaluate new methods for interdisciplinary collaboration and information exchange in order to increase the value and quality of the care they provide, said Dr. Dania Daye, PhD, of Harvard Medical School.
Video-based consultations are increasing in popularity as a method for improving patient experience and convenience in healthcare; recent studies have shown that virtual consults yield greater provider and patient satisfaction, as well as lower costs and a reduced need for specialist follow-up, Daye said. Research has documented the benefits of virtual consultation in internal medicine and surgical subspecialties, but limited data are available on the use of virtual radiology consults during patient visits.
The team sought to address this knowledge gap by assessing the value of a novel framework for implementing point-of-care video-based radiology consultations. During these sessions, primary care providers could virtually consult with radiologists and review imaging studies in real-time while with the patient. After conducting a feasibility study for implementing video-based radiology consults in an internal medicine clinic at an academic medical center, the team found that both patients and primary care providers were highly satisfied with the experience.
Improving communication with referring providers and patients is essential for increasing the value of the care that radiologists deliver, Daye said.
"Our proposed framework allows radiologists to provide more clinically relevant and personalized results and recommendations through direct input from providers and patients," she told AuntMinnie.com. "This new care model offers the potential to advance radiology's value in care delivery by promoting patient-centered practice models."
