Comprehensive eye exams can help re-engage patients into care for certain chronic conditions, with ECPs encouraging them to seek follow-up treatments from primary care physicians and specialists, according to a new study by US insurance provider UnitedHealthcare.
The Eye Exam Impacts on Re-engagement for Chronic Conditions study followed more than 2,300 employer-sponsored plan participants to determine whether patients lacking care for chronic conditions followed up for treatment with a primary care physician or specialist after an eye exam.
Seven chronic conditions were examined: Crohn’s disease, diabetes, Graves’ disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The study found that 33 per cent of previously unengaged patients, defined as lacking medical care for any chronic conditions over the previous 18 months, were re-engaged with a primary care physician or specialist within 60 days following an eye exam. A further 24 per cent of patients were re-engaged after 60 days following an eye exam.
‘This study demonstrates the important role comprehensive eye exams play in re-engaging patients into care, especially for chronic conditions,’ said Linda Chous, OD and chief eye care officer for UnitedHealthcare Vision.
‘When patients are reconnected into care, the prevention of disease progression and complications can be realized, which may contribute to improved patient health and reduced costs.’