- Can Telehealth Improve Access to Eye Care in Underserved Populations?
"With COVID-19 as the backdrop, patients are showing an increased desire for convenient and easily-accessible eye care using remote technology," said Mark Ruchman, MD, chief medical officer at Versant Health.
"As we look to the future of eye care, ocular telemedicine will play an important role in improving access to care, as patients are provided more ways to address their eye health on their own terms," Ruchman said.
Over one third (38 percent) of respondents under 40 reported that access to remote communication with eye doctors would have a strong influence on seeing an eye doctor more frequently, highlighting a link between virtual care and patient engagement.
Thirty-four percent of people ages 40 to 59 agreed, while just 15 percent of people ages 60 and older said remote communication would increase their engagement with eye care.
Respondents of all ages ranked the ability to identify eye diseases and other serious health conditions as the service that would influence them most to schedule an eye doctor appointment, supporting eye health as a window into overall health and wellness.
Eighty-one percent of respondents received an eye exam in the past two years, compared to 77 percent of respondents in the inaugural study. Of people who have not received an eye exam in the past two years, 37 percent noted that cost is a care access barrier.
However, Elizabeth Klunk, RN, BSN, CCM-R, senior vice president of Medical Management at Versant Health noted that eye exams are one of the most affordable methods for preventative care.
"Members are realizing that comprehensive eye exams can provide a clearer picture of their overall health,” Klunk said. “In fact, eye exams are one of the lowest cost and least invasive methods at looking at whole body health for early disease detection."
Even though eye care is one of the least costly kinds of specialty care, additional social determinants of health affect care access such as annual household income and insurance.
For instance, 68 percent of people in households with incomes under $35,000 have had an eye exam in the past two years, compared to 81 percent of all respondents. Additionally, 61 percent of respondents with incomes under $35,000 said someone in their household had vision insurance, compared to 69 percent of all respondents.
"The future of eye care requires us to implement tools that can increase access to care for all patient populations, especially those who are more likely to face systemic barriers. During this pandemic, the rapid advancement of technology has helped us to better meet the needs of vulnerable populations, and we are committed to continuing to explore how it makes healthy sight more accessible," said Klunk.
The survey also gathered responses from a group of 17 health plan executives. When asked about their virtual care predictions, 76 percent said they believe patients’ use of remote care with eye doctors will substantially or somewhat increase.
While 43 percent of people with incomes under $35,000 said affordability is the reason why they do not go to the eye doctor as frequently as they would like, almost 9 out of 10 health plan executives (88 percent) said that they believe transportation is the biggest obstacle for members' access to eye care services. This disconnect highlights the need for health plan executives to gather member insights.
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