Investigating the Influence of Patient Eligibility Characteristics on the Number of Deferrable Rheumatologist Visits: Planning for a Patient-Initiated Follow-Up Strategy.

Objective: Patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a model of care delivery wherein patients contact the clinic when needed instead of having regularly scheduled follow-up. Our objective was to investigate the influence of different patient eligibility characteristics on the number of potentially deferred visits to inform future implementation of a PIFU strategy.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 7 rheumatologists' practices at 2 university-based clinics between March 1, 2021, and February 28, 2022. Data extracted included the type and frequency of visits, disease management, comorbidities, and care complexities. Stable disease was defined as remission or low disease activity with no medication changes at all visits. The influence of patient characteristics on the number of deferrable visits in patients with stable disease was explored in 4 criteria sets that were based on early disease duration, medication prescribed, presence of care complexity elements, and comorbidity burden.

Results: Records from 770 visits were reviewed from 365 patients with RA (71.5% female, 70% seropositive). Among all criteria sets, the proportion of visits that could be redirected varied between 2.5% and 20.9%. The highest proportion of deferrable visits was achieved when eligibility criteria included only stable disease activity and patients with RA on conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or no medications (n = 161, 20.9%).

Conclusion: PIFU may result in a more efficient use of specialist healthcare resources. However, the applicability of such models of care and the number of deferred visits is highly dependent on patient characteristics used to establish eligibility criteria for that model. These findings should be considered when planning implementation trials.