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Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy and Vision Disabilities

By Welch Allyn 6 years ago 2597 Views No comments

Primary care is at the forefront of population health. Primary care clinicians represent the front lines of a complex healthcare system. They are tasked not only with treating acute and chronic conditions, but also with identifying health risk factors early to help improve patient outcomes and keep system costs lower. With Welch Allyn’s RetinaVue and Spot Vision Screener, we can advance the capabilities of frontline care providers with smarter tools to help identify, diagnose and manage many of the most prevalent health issues practices see every day.

From Welch Allyn's Advancing Frontline Care brochure

The Diabetic Retinopathy Challenge

414 million people globally are living with diabetes. 80% of patients with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy. With early detection, up to 95% of vision loss cases are preventable. Yet documented compliance with annual retinal exams is often less than 50%.

The Solution

Welch Allyn RetinaVue Network

The Welch Allyn RetinaVue Network makes diabetic retinal exams simple and affordable for primary care.

The Impact

Compliance: RetinaVue Network can double patient compliance rates for diabetic retinal assessment in just 12 months.

Patient outcomes: Help preserve vision in patients with diabetes through early detection.

Financial outcomes: Most commercial healthcare plans provide coverage for RetinaVue Network DR screening. Consult your payer partners to understand coding and coverage options. Annual retinal examinations are also included in the NCQA HEDIS ratings program, the Medicare Advantage STAR quality rating program and Medicare quality rating programs. CPT Code 92250. By intercepting patients during routine office visits, healthcare providers can potentially qualify for financial incentives under these programs.

The Vision Disabilities Challenge

Vision disability is the single most prevalent disabling condition among children. Only one in three US children have had a vision screening before kindergarten. The AAP recommends instrument-based vision screening at as early as 12 months of age, if available. Yet 70% of pediatricians are not doing automated vision screening.

The Solution

The Welch Allyn Spot Vision Screener

Spot Vision Screener is revolutionizing early detection of vision disorders in children to help improve sight and prevent blindness. It can screen objectively for: Hyperopia, Myopia, Astigmatism, Anisometropia, Strabismus, and Anisocoria.

The Impact

Efficiency: In one study, use of the Spot Vision Screener at Pediatric Physicians’ Organization at Boston Children’s Hospital helped staff increase completion rates in three-to five-year-old children over chart-based screening. Improvement was observed for each age, but the most impressive result was among three-year-old children – increasing from 38.6% to 87.1%.

Financial outcomes: Instrument-based vision screening is a smart investment. Practices can realize immediate economic benefits through reimbursement with CPT Code 99177 and reduce the rate of unnecessary referrals to specialists.

Standardization: A fast, objective and consistent approach to vision screening across the healthcare network can help enhance operational efficiency and patient outcomes. 11 out of 12 practices in the Boston Children’s project experienced a statistically significant improvement in completed vision screening with instrument screening compared with chart-based screening.

Advancing Frontline Care Together! Contact your Medical Resources representative today to discuss these products and more. 1-800-860-4716 (USA)

Sources:

⁶ IDF Diabetes Atlas, Seventh Edition 2015, page 50. www.idf.org ⁷ American Academy of Ophthalmology Retina/Vitreous Panel. Preferred Practice Pattern® Guidelines. Diabetic Retinopathy. San Francisco, CA: American Academy of Ophthalmology; 2014. www.aao.org/ppp. ⁸ National Eye Institute, Facts about Diabetic Eye Disease. https://nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/retinopathy ⁹ Monitoring Visual Status: Why Patients Do or Do Not Comply with Practice Guidelines; Frank A. Sloan, Derek S. Brown, Emily Streyer Carlisle, Gabriel A. Picone, and Paul P. Lee. Health Services Research, October 2004. ¹⁰ Garg S, Jani PD, Kshirsagar AV, King B, Chaum E. Telemedicine and Retinal Images for Improving Diabetic Retinopathy Evaluation. Arch Intern Med. 2012; Oct 1: 1-2.

¹⁴ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Improving the Nations’ Vision Health: A Comprehensive Public Health Approach. http://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/pdf/improving_nati... vision_health.pdf ¹⁵ Zabba, Joel N. “Children’s Vision Care in The 21st Century & Its Impact on Education, Literacy, Social Issues & the Workplace: A Call to Action.” Journal of Behavioral Optometry (2011) ¹⁶ Source: http://www.aappublications.org/news/2015/12/07/Vis... ¹⁷ Welch Allyn Market Research 2016 ¹⁸ Louis Vernacchio, MD, MSc; Jonathan Modest, MPH; Katherine Majzoub, RN, MBA; Bruce Moore, OD; Vijeta Bhambhani, MS, MPH; Emily K Trudell, MPH; Temitope Osineye, MBBS, MPH; Glenn Focht, MD; Jean Santangelo, RN, BSN (2015). INSTRUMENT-BASED VISION SCREENING FOR PRESCHOOL AGED CHILDREN: AN IMPLEMENTATION STUDY. Poster presented at the Healthcare Improvement 27th Annual Summit, December 2015 ¹⁹ CPT 99177: Instrument-based ocular screening (e.g., photoscreening, automated refraction), bilateral; with on-site analysis.