Patient Satisfaction and Healthcare Utilization with the Transition to Virtual Care in a Multidisciplinary Bariatric Program

The COVID-19 pandemic saw an acceleration in virtual-visits (VV) for healthcare delivery. However, the impact of virtual care in metabolic/bariatric surgery (MBS) programs is not well described. Appointment data from three time-points: pre-pandemic (1/1/19–3/15/20, n = 19,290), pandemic (3/16/20–10/31/21, n = 29,459) and current-state (11/1/21–12/31/2022, n = 24,270) was retrieved in our multi-hospital ambulatory MBS program. Appointments were grouped by health care provider (HCP) (MD, dietician, and psychologist) and type (VV and in-person). Surveys assessing patient satisfaction were distributed electronically. All pre-op and post-op appointment data was analyzed for the time-points above. Appointment completion rates and patient reported preferences were described. Our data showed an increase in scheduled VV from 0.5