FRIDAY, April 24, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Virtual neurology new outpatient visits are associated with similar downstream utilization as in-person visits, according to a study published online April 22 in Neurology.
Chloé E. Hill, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults with a new outpatient neurology visit from September 2020 through December 2021 to compare subsequent health care utilization after virtual versus in-person new patient neurology visits. Using propensity scores, virtual and in-person patients were matched in a 1:1 ratio (8,202 virtual and 8,202 in-person visits).
The researchers observed no difference in neurology follow-up within 90 days between virtual and in-person visits (24.6 versus 23.7 percent). After virtual visits, 30-day neurology clinic follow-up was slightly lower, while follow-up at six months and one year was similar between the groups. Neurologic emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations within 90 days were similar between the groups. In addition, all-cause ED visits and hospitalizations within 90 days were comparable. Ninety-day follow-up was higher after in-person visits for dementia, while higher 30- and 90-day follow-up was seen after virtual visits for Parkinson disease and multiple sclerosis. Ninety-day follow-up was also higher after virtual visits for headache.
"Our results suggest that virtual visits are appropriate for an initial neurologic evaluation across a range of conditions," Hill said in a statement. "We found that neurology patients with initial virtual visits do not typically experience higher rates of trips to the emergency department or hospitalizations."
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.