Meghan K Berkenstock1, Paulina Liberman2,3, Peter J McDonnell2, Benjamin C Chaon2. 1. Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Maumenee Building, Third Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. mberken2@jhmi.edu. 2. Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Maumenee Building, Third Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. 3. Departamento de Oftalmología, Escuela de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To minimize the risk of viral transmission, ophthalmology practices limited face-to-face encounters to only patients with urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions in the weeks after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States. The impact of this is unknown. METHODS: We did a retrospective analysis of the change in the frequency of ICD-10 code use and patient volumes in the 6 weeks before and after the changes in clinical practice associated with COVID-19. RESULTS: The total number of encounters decreased four-fold after the implementation of clinic changes associated with COVID-19. The low vision, pediatric ophthalmology, general ophthalmology, and cornea divisions had the largest total decrease of in-person visits. Conversely, the number of telemedicine visits increased sixty-fold. The number of diagnostic codes associated with ocular malignancies, most ocular inflammatory disorders, and retinal conditions requiring intravitreal injections increased. ICD-10 codes associated with ocular screening exams for systemic disorders decreased during the weeks post COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmology practices need to be prepared to experience changes in practice patterns, implementation of telemedicine, and decreased patient volumes during a pandemic. Knowing the changes specific to each subspecialty clinic is vital to redistribute available resources correctly.
BACKGROUND: To minimize the risk of viral transmission, ophthalmology practices limited face-to-face encounters to only patients with urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions in the weeks after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States. The impact of this is unknown. METHODS: We did a retrospective analysis of the change in the frequency of ICD-10 code use and patient volumes in the 6 weeks before and after the changes in clinical practice associated with COVID-19. RESULTS: The total number of encounters decreased four-fold after the implementation of clinic changes associated with COVID-19. The low vision, pediatric ophthalmology, general ophthalmology, and cornea divisions had the largest total decrease of in-person visits. Conversely, the number of telemedicine visits increased sixty-fold. The number of diagnostic codes associated with ocular malignancies, most ocular inflammatory disorders, and retinal conditions requiring intravitreal injections increased. ICD-10 codes associated with ocular screening exams for systemic disorders decreased during the weeks post COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmology practices need to be prepared to experience changes in practice patterns, implementation of telemedicine, and decreased patient volumes during a pandemic. Knowing the changes specific to each subspecialty clinic is vital to redistribute available resources correctly.
Authors: Harry Levine; Paula A Sepulveda-Beltran; Diego S Altamirano; Alfonso L Sabater; Sander R Dubovy; Harry W Flynn; Guillermo Amescua Journal: Cornea Date: 2022-02-01 Impact factor: 2.651
Authors: Joanna Przybek-Skrzypecka; Alina Szewczuk; Anna Kamińska; Janusz Skrzypecki; Aleksandra Pyziak-Skupień; Jacek Paweł Szaflik Journal: Healthcare (Basel) Date: 2022-07-29