Diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness among adults, necessitates regular screenings to detect and treat early and prevent vision loss. As care models advance and in-home diabetes management prioritizes accessibility, integrating portable AI screenings offers an essential service that enhances diabetes management and improves patient outcomes. Traditional screenings often require lengthy, in-clinic specialist visits and pupil dilation, creating significant barriers to care, especially for homebound patients. With fewer than 50% of patients accessing their annual screenings, there is a pressing need for an accessible and straightforward screening solution. Aurora AEYE introduces a groundbreaking approach to diabetic retinopathy screening, offering fully autonomous, at-home diagnostics using advanced AI technology and a portable handheld camera. This solution provides immediate diagnoses without needing specialist interpretation.This innovation is particularly advantageous for payers and providers aiming to enhance services, close care gaps, and achieve better patient outcomes.
How the 1-minute Screening with Aurora AEYE Works
Aurora AEYE integrates FDA-cleared AI technology with a portable handheld camera, streamlining diabetic retinopathy screening for quick and convenient use. This one-minute screening can be easily conducted by any healthcare professional during home visits, providing an immediate diagnosis without requiring specialist involvement. The process involves three simple steps:
Imaging: Healthcare professionals capture images of each eye using a portable camera at the patient's home, eliminating the need for pupil dilation and specialized settings.
AI Analysis: Images are uploaded to the cloud via the internet-connected camera for swift and precise analysis by AI algorithms, ensuring immediate results.
Diagnosis: Diagnostic results are promptly displayed on the camera screen and sent directly to the referring physician for seamless reporting and follow-up.
Empowering Patients with Knowledge
Aurora AEYE not only enables healthcare providers to close diabetes care gaps but also empowers patients by providing immediate access to their results. Having this information on hand enables patients to have informed discussions about their eye health while in the comfort of their own homes. The ability to review and discuss the results with their healthcare professional immediately can motivate patients to take necessary steps, such as visiting an eye specialist for further evaluation and treatment if needed.
Advantages for Payers, Providers, and Patients
Aurora AEYE offers a cost-effective solution by enabling home screenings and addressing non-adherence challenges. Reimbursable under a NCQA-vetted, CPT code 92229, enhances HEDIS scores and star ratings while also enhancing overall healthcare provider metrics and performance. By streamlining diagnostic results reporting and ensuring comprehensive care management with timely follow-ups, Aurora AEYE supports proactive health management and early intervention, thereby further enhancing patient outcomes. Additionally, the AI-driven analysis and instant results streamline workflow efficiencies, enabling providers to focus on patients needing further evaluation and treatment, while promoting enhanced patient engagement and adherence to treatment plans.
A Comparative Advantage: Aurora AEYE vs. Teleretinal Screening and Traditional Referrals
Traditional screening methods require in-person visits to specialist offices, involving pupil dilation and often causing long wait times and disruptions to patients' workdays, making screening inaccessible, especially for individuals who are homebound. In response, at-home teleretinal screening has emerged, allowing imaging at patients' homes with remote interpretation and diagnosis. However, this method results in extended wait times for remote specialist evaluations, as images are sent offsite, and diagnoses are returned well after the healthcare provider has left the patient's home. In some cases reimaging is required which necessitates returning to the patient’s home for additional imaging and repeating the process. Additionally, the reimbursement for teleretinal screening is much lower as costs are divided between the technical component of obtaining images and the specialist interpretation leading to less than $20 reimbursement for the operating party.
In contrast, Aurora AEYE enhances accessibility by providing instant, AI-driven results, removing barriers for patients at home. Unlike traditional referrals requiring visits to eye specialists or teleretinal screenings, Aurora AEYE delivers immediate diagnoses without needing physician interpretation, eliminating potential delays in diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, the reimbursement for this exam is significantly higher, with a national average of $50 compared to $20 for teleretinal screenings or the cost of in-clinic specialist screenings. Aurora AEYE facilitates convenient at-home screening with on-the-spot diagnosis, enabling prompt intervention and reducing the risk of vision loss and complications. complications.
Conclusion
Aurora AEYE revolutionizes diabetic retinopathy screening with a portable camera and AI technology for quick, accurate, and convenient diagnosis. Adopting Aurora AEYE offers numerous advantages for payers, providers, and patients alike: dramatically improved financials, enhanced patient care through early detection and improved outcomes, operational efficiency by streamlining screening processes, and cost savings by reducing in-clinic visits and specialist referrals. For patients, it means greater convenience and comfort with at-home screenings, fostering proactive management of their health. Embrace Aurora AEYE and lead the way in proactive, patient-centric diabetic eye care while staying ahead in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape.
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