Session Title: Equity & Quality of Neurological Care in the Virtual Care Era

Description: In this SIG we will discuss how the COVID-19 disruption of health care delivery has impacted the equity and quality of neurologic care. Speakers will cover the implications of the changes in routine inpatient and outpatient care, and subsequent significant growth of telehealth and digital health services from patient, caregiver, provider, and business perspectives. Speakers will also bring updates on best practices and assessments of quality and access to telehealth in both inpatient and outpatient spheres, and comment on the implication of the regulatory changes at the federal and state levels in response to COVID-19. Finally, we will uncover the most recent data on the growing disparities in health care from the impact of the pandemic and the digital health transformation. There will be a panel discussion on the obstacles to expanding health delivery systems due to the pandemic, and alternate approaches and delivery models to address these challenges.

Chair: Lidia Moura, MD, MPH, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Co-Chair: Sahar Zafar, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Objective(s):

• Define the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on quality and equity of neurologic care
• Demonstrate the utility of telehealth and digital health services in improving quality of neurologic care during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Promote coordinated care models that address growing disparities in health care during the COVID-19 pandemic

Presentations:

Learning Healthcare Systems to Reduce Transition Gaps for Pediatric and Adult Patients

Speaker:

Christine Baca, MD, MSHS, Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs and Quality, Epilepsy Division Chair

Virginia Commonwealth University

Inequities in Neurology Amplified by the COVID-19 Pandemic: Is There a Cure?

Speaker:

Altaf Saadi, MD, MSc

Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Can Telemedicine Support High Quality Neurological Care During the COVID Pandemic?

Speakers:

• Jason Smith, BA, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Maria Donahue, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania