Evaluating Provider Perceptions of Telehealth Utility in Outpatient Rheumatology Telehealth Encounters

Objective: This study aims to explore the factors associated with rheumatology providers' perceptions of telehealth utility in real-world telehealth encounters. Methods: From September 14, 2020 to January 31, 2021, 6 providers at an academic medical center rated their telehealth visits according to perceived utility in making treatment decisions using the following Telehealth Utility Score (TUS) (1 = very low utility to 5 = very high utility). Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between TUS scores and encounter diagnoses, disease activity measures, and immunomodulatory therapy changes during the encounter. Results: A total of 481 telehealth encounters were examined, of which 191 (39.7%) were rated as “low telehealth utility” (TUS 1–3) and 290 (60.3%) were rated as “high telehealth utility” (TUS 4–5). Encounters with a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis were significantly less likely to be rated as high telehealth utility (adjusted relative risk [aRR], 0.8061; p = 0.004), especially in those with a concurrent noninflammatory musculoskeletal diagnosis (aRR, 0.54; p = 0.006). Other factors significantly associated with low telehealth utility included higher disease activity according to current and prior RAPID3 scores (aRR, 0.87 and aRR, 0.89, respectively; p < 0.001) and provider global scores (aRR, 0.83; p < 0.001), as well as an increase in immunomodulatory therapy (aRR, 0.70; p = 0.015). Conclusions: Provider perceptions of telehealth utility in real-world encounters are significantly associated with patient diagnoses, current and prior disease activity, and the need for changes in immunomodulatory therapy. These findings inform efforts to optimize the appropriate utilization of telehealth in rheumatology.