A Comparative Outcomes Analysis: The Evolution and Growth of a Teledermatology Program to Accommodate High Patient Volumes

Main Article Content

Leandra Doan
Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine

Marit Kreidel, MD
Department of Dermatology, Orange County Medical Center, Southern California Permanente Medical Group

Jeffrey Benabio, MD, MBA
Department of Dermatology, San Diego, CA, Southern California Permanente Medical Group

Gabriel Hernandez, BS
Regional Virtual Medical Center Clinical Operations, Southern California Permanente Medical Group

Walt Engler, BS
Strategy, Decision Support & Transformation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California

Linda Tolbert, MD, JD, EdD, MPH
Department of Dermatology, San Bernardino, CA, Southern California Permanente Medical Group

Keywords

teledermatology, quality improvement, photography

Abstract

Background:  Most teledermatology studies include reviews of programs on a limited scale, whereas there are fewer reports on how to expand a program to accommodate high patient volumes.


Objective: To share our insights into the growth and maintenance of a teledermatology program that sees over 100,000 cases a year. 


Methods: Retrospective review of a teledermatology program between 2015 and 2022. Outcomes were compared between the initial phase from 2015-2017 and the maturation phase from 2018-2022.


Results: In 2015, the teledermatology program was piloted in 3 hospital centers and expanded to 10 more centers by 2017. There was a total of 12,385 cases in 2015, which increased to 139,110 cases in 2022. Despite the dramatic increase in number of cases, our program adapted well: the initial phase of program development resulted in 69.2% of concerns being treated remotely, compared to 70.9% of submissions in the later years, p <0.001.


Limitations: Overall generalizability as this study was performed in a large integrated health system.


Discussion: We maintain that the following can help scale a teledermatology program: 1. Communication with all interested parties; 2. Streamlined implementation of technological devices; 3. Training for dermatologists and primary providers; 4. Image guidelines to maintain photo quality. 

References

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2. Ranpariya V, Kats D, Lipoff JB. Direct-to-Consumer Teledermatology Growth: A Review and Outlook for the Future. Cutis. 2022;109(4):211-217. doi:10.12788/cutis.0503

3. Pathipati AS, Ko JM. Implementation and evaluation of Stanford Health Care direct-care teledermatology program. SAGE Open Med. 2016;4:2050312116659089. doi:10.1177/2050312116659089.

4. Hopkins ZH, Han G, Tejasvi T, et al. Teledermatology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Future Directions. Cutis. 2022;109(1):12-13. doi:10.12788/cutis.0431

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Published
Nov 13, 2023
DOI https://doi.org/10.25251/skin.7.6.2

Article Details

How to Cite
Doan, L., Kreidel, MD, M. ., Benabio, MD, MBA, J., Hernandez, BS, G., Engler, BS, W., & Tolbert, MD, JD, EdD, MPH, L. (2023). A Comparative Outcomes Analysis: The Evolution and Growth of a Teledermatology Program to Accommodate High Patient Volumes. SKIN The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine, 7(6), 1090–1096. https://doi.org/10.25251/skin.7.6.2
Issue
Vol. 7 No. 6 (2023): November 2023 Issue
Section
In-Depth Reviews
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