Abstract Details

Title The National TeleNeurology Program (NTNP): Targeting rural Veterans to provide equitable access to specialty care

Topic General Neurology

Presentation(s) P4 - Poster Session 4 (8:00 AM-9:00 AM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 2-002

Objective To provide an overview of the National TeleNeurology Program

Background

Telehealth has become increasingly utilized in healthcare systems to improve access to specialty care and better allocate limited resources. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), through the Office of Rural Health, has funded and developed the first-ever, national-scale TeleNeurology program.

Design/Methods This hub and spoke program was designed to create a virtual cohort of general neurology providers who leverage telehealth modalities to provide outpatient consultative and follow-up services. NTNP targeted regions with insufficient neurology services in VHA and the community. Neurology encounters are completed through video visits, either directly to the Veteran’s home or to a closer VHA medical clinic. Documentation and all aspects of patient care are completed directly in the spoke-site medical record. Implementation of NTNP included weekly telephone calls with facility outpatient and telehealth managers to facilitate clinic administrative organization, templated notes, and scheduling practices. This process took an average of 8 weeks and employed novel uses of VHA technology and software packages. This program will incorporate various technology integrations, including remote monitoring systems, which will allow scalability and greater reach. Establishing this service allows dynamic and flexible outpatient neurology coverage, and also builds a network into which subspecialty services and other neurology-related services can be introduced, such as subspecialty consultations, patient education programs and referral coordination and case management initiatives.

Results NTNP began seeing patients in October 2020 and is now serving 13 medical centers in 9 states, with additional spoke-site activations planned. 855 unique Veterans have been seen in over 1,100 encounters. The average wait time to be seen is 27 days. The most commonly treated diagnosis is headache, followed by movement disorders.

Conclusions NTNP has leveraged telehealth technologies to provide the first-ever national scale outpatient general neurology service, creating timely and equitable access to care, particularly for rural America.

Authors/Disclosures
Steven S. Schreiber, MD (Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center) PRESENTER	Dr. Schreiber has nothing to disclose.
Aditi Narechania, MD	Dr. Narechania has nothing to disclose.
	No disclosure on file
Linda S. Williams, MD, FAAN (Roudebush VAMC)	The institution of Dr. Williams has received research support from VA HSR&D.
Holly Martin	Holly Martin has nothing to disclose.
Jayne R. Wilkinson, MD, MSCE (Philadelphia PADRECC / University of Pennsylvania)	Dr. Wilkinson has nothing to disclose.

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