Table 1.
Patient and Encounter Characteristics (n = 682)
| Variable | All Patients (n = 682) | In Person (n = 308) | Telemedicine (n = 374) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age, median years (IQR) | 4 (1–14) | 3 (0.9–14) | 4.5 (1–13) | 0.176 |
| Sex (%) | 0.105 | |||
| Male | 372 (55) | 179 (58) | 193 (52) | |
| Female | 310 (45) | 129 (42) | 181 (48) | |
| Race (%) | <0.001 | |||
| White or Caucasian | 412 (60) | 161 (52) | 251 (67) | |
| Black or African American | 67 (10) | 36 (12) | 31 (8) | |
| Other | 203 (30) | 111 (36) | 92 (25) | |
| Ethnicity (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 512 (75) | 212 (69) | 300 (80) | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 170 (25) | 96 (31) | 74 (20) | |
| Preferred language (%) | <0.001 | |||
| English | 619 (91) | 257 (83) | 362 (97) | |
| Spanish | 43 (6) | 35 (11) | 8 (2) | |
| Other | 20 (3) | 16 (5) | 4 (1) | |
| Primary payer (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Non-Medicare/Medicaid | 357 (52) | 136 (44) | 221 (59) | |
| Medicare/Medicaid | 325 (48) | 172 (56) | 153 (41) | |
| Patient status (%) | <0.001 | |||
| Established | 500 (73) | 180 (58) | 320 (86) | |
| New | 182 (27) | 128 (42) | 54 (14) | |
| Month of appointment (%) | <0.001 | |||
| April | 120 (18) | 12 (4) | 108 (29) | |
| May | 132 (19) | 37 (12) | 95 (25) | |
| June | 215 (32) | 119 (39) | 96 (26) | |
| July | 215 (32) | 140 (45) | 75 (20) | |
| No show rate, median (IQR) | 0% (0%–6%) | 1% (0%–7%) | 0% (0%–5%) | 0.006 |
| Distance to hospital, median miles (IQR) | 20.75 (11.2–37) | 17 (7.3–33.3) | 22 (12.4–39.2) | 0.005 |
| History of neurosurgical operation (%) | 282 (41) | 125 (41) | 157 (42) | 0.755 |
| Days since last neurosurgical operation (median [IQR]) | 859 (246–1916) | 793 (240–1850) | 940 (251–1905) | 0.649 |
| Diagnostic category (%) | 0.900 | |||
| Head shape and skull abnormalities | 230 (34) | 98 (32) | 132 (35) | |
| Tumors and intracranial cysts | 102 (15) | 50 (16) | 52 (14) | |
| Hydrocephalus | 110 (16) | 50 (16) | 60 (16) | |
| Congenital | 133 (20) | 62 (20) | 71 (19) | |
| Trauma | 44 (6) | 21 (7) | 23 (6) | |
| Other | 63 (9) | 27 (9) | 36 (10) |