• Sandra Hobson, Ilyas S Aleem, Miranda J Bice, Bilal B Butt, Mohamad Bydon, Benjamin D Elder, Donald R Fredericks, Melvin D Helgeson, Rakesh D Patel, Arjun Sebastian, Scott C Wagner, Seth K Williams, Ashley E Xiong, Paul A Anderson, and Brett Freedman.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2021 Oct 1; 154: e781e789e781-e789.

ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility, patient/provider satisfaction, and perceived value of telehealth spine consultation after rapid conversion from traditional in-office visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsData were obtained for patients undergoing telehealth visits with spine surgeons in the first 3 weeks after government restriction of elective surgical care at 4 sites (March 23, 2020, to April 17, 2020). Demographic factors, technique-specific elements of the telehealth experience, provider confidence in diagnostic and therapeutic assessment, patient/surgeon satisfaction, and perceived value were collected.ResultsA total of 128 unique visits were analyzed. New (74 [58%]), preoperative (26 [20%]), and postoperative (28 [22%]) patients were assessed. A total of 116 (91%) visits had successful connection on the first attempt. Surgeons felt very confident 101 times (79%) when assessing diagnosis and 107 times (84%) when assessing treatment plan. The mean and median patient satisfaction was 89% and 94%, respectively. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher for video over audio-only visits (P < 0.05). Patient satisfaction was not significantly different with patient age, location of chief complaint (cervical or thoracolumbar), or visit type (new, preoperative, or postoperative). Providers reported that 76% of the time they would choose to perform the visit again in telehealth format. Sixty percent of patients valued the visit cost as the same or slightly less than an in-office consultation.ConclusionsThis is the first study to demonstrate the feasibility and high patient/provider satisfaction of virtual spine surgical consultation, and appropriate reimbursement and balanced regulation for spine telehealth care is essential to continue this existing work.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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