8469 Endocrinologists Underutilize Virtual Care Services Resulting in Suboptimal Clinical and Financial Outcomes

Abstract Disclosure: D. Terry: Employee; Self; Valendo Health. Less than 150,000 Medicare patients with diabetes (PWD) receive billable telehealth and remote monitoring services, even though over 12 million PWDs are eligible for these services. This is a missed quality opportunity, as studies show that PWDs who receive these services experience reductions in A1C levels and improvements in TIR. It is also a missed financial opportunity for Endocrinologists, who are among the lowest paid specialists in the US. The economics of Endocrinology are important, because inadequate compensation is leading to access constraints when the diabetes population is growing, and care complexity is increasing. We analyzed billed virtual health claims for every Medicare PWD in 2022. The types of services we examined included: Chronic Care Management (CCM & PCM), Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM & RPM), Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), and Diabetes Self-Management Training (DSMT). When we looked by Endocrinologist by virtual care service type, we found the following levels of service delivery for Endocrinologists at the median levels of utilization:4.8% of eligible PWDs received remote Continuous Glucose Monitoring support.4.2% received virtual Chronic Care Management services.6.2% received virtual Diabetes Self-Management Support.<1% received Medical Nutrition Therapy This is clearly a missed clinical quality opportunity as a study published in JAMA in October 2023, Comprehensive Telehealth Model to Support Diabetes Self-Management, reported the following improvements for PWDs who received virtual care for 6 months:Mean change in A1C levels: Type 1: -0.6%; Type 2: -1.0%Mean TIR Improvement: Type 1: 16%; Type 2: 18% It is also a missed financial opportunity for Endocrinology practices. Each patient with diabetes is potentially eligible for $100 or more of virtual care services per month. We’ve looked at every Endocrinology practice in the US and many are missing out on over a million dollars of annual revenue opportunity. This is important as Endocrinology organizations everywhere, independent and hospital based, are struggling to retain the doctors & staff necessary to provide adequate access to care - leading to months of wait time to see an Endocrinologist. The prevalence of diabetes is growing significantly, while Endocrinologist capacity is shrinking. Value added and billable virtual care services create new opportunities for Endocrinologist to generate the revenue necessary to increase clinical capacity and improve access by creating diverse clinical teams led by Endocrinologists and supported by Diabetes Educators, Dietitians, and others with expertise in diabetes who can care for many more PWDs. Creating virtual care capabilities is also an early step in moving Endocrinology into Value-Based Care arrangements that reward providers for improving care and reducing costs rather than for generating more visits. Presentation: 6/1/2024