Providing Financial Incentives to Improve Adherence to Referral Eye Care Visits

NCT04328207 | Completed Results

• 3 other identifiers: IRB-3000049211U01DP006441-01-001U01DP006441-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 900
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Glaucoma is a blinding eye disease increasingly common in older adults, particularly in African Americans, and often diagnosed late in the disease course. It is essential to develop novel health care models, utilizing telemedicine, to improve the ability to detect glaucoma at an earlier stage, and to provide a platform to manage this disease in community-based clinics so that further vision loss is prevented. Our goal is to improve the quality and accessibility of glaucoma detection and management among a vulnerable and at-risk segment of our population.

Conditions

Glaucoma; Diabetic Retinopathy; Refractive Errors; Cataract; Behavior, Health

Keywords

telemedicine; teleophthalmology; telehealth; teleglaucoma; financial incentives

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Percentage of Participants That Adhere to Referral Appointment

  The percentage of patients who adhere to attending their referral appointments who received a financial incentive and eye health education will be compared with the percentage of patients who adhere to attending their referral appointments who received standard of care eye health education alone and no financial incentive for completing a referral visit.

  The time frame will be whether they attended the referral appointment between the screening date until 6 months after the screening date.

Study Arms (2)

No financial incentive

OTHER

This group will receive standard of care eye health education alone and no financial incentive for completing a referral visit.

Other: No Financial Incentive

Financial incentive

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will receive a financial incentive once the referral visit is completed (if one was required) as well as eye health education.

Behavioral: Financial Incentive

Interventions

No Financial Incentive OTHER

Standard of care eye health education

Also known as: Standard of Care

No financial incentive

Financial Incentive BEHAVIORAL

Patients who are referred for an in-person follow-up exam will receive a financial incentive once the referral visit is completed.

Financial incentive

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• African American or Hispanic ≥40 years
• Non-Hispanic white ≥50 years
• Anyone ≥ 18 years with diabetes
• Anyone ≥ 18 years with a glaucoma associated diagnosis
• Anyone ≥ 18 years with a family history of glaucoma
• All enrollees must be able to speak and understand English

You may not qualify if:

• None

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Alabama at Birmingham: lead
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, 35233, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Rhodes LA, Register S, Asif I, McGwin G Jr, Saaddine J, Nghiem VTH, Owsley C, Girkin CA. Alabama Screening and Intervention for Glaucoma and Eye Health Through Telemedicine (AL-SIGHT): Study Design and Methodology. J Glaucoma. 2021 May 1;30(5):371-379. doi: 10.1097/IJG.0000000000001794.

  PMID: 33492893 DERIVED

Related Links

• Website describing the research program as well as two other research programs funded by the same mechanism.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Glaucoma; Diabetic Retinopathy; Refractive Errors; Cataract; Health Behavior

Interventions

Standard of Care

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Ocular Hypertension; Eye Diseases; Retinal Diseases; Diabetic Angiopathies; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes Complications; Diabetes Mellitus; Endocrine System Diseases; Lens Diseases; Behavior

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Quality Indicators, Health Care; Quality of Health Care; Health Services Administration; Health Care Quality, Access, and Evaluation

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Cynthia Owsley
• Organization: University of Alabama at Birmingham

cynthiaowsley@uabmc.edu

2053258635

Study Officials

• Christopher A Girkin, MD, MSPH

  University of Alabama at Birmingham

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: Yes

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: The investigators are masked as to which group the patient is in.
• Purpose: SCREENING
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: In the first half of enrollment in the program there will be no financial incentive offered to any patients. In the second half of enrollment, all patients needing referral will be notified that they will receive a payment upon the completion of their referral visit.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 27, 2020
• First Posted: March 31, 2020
• Study Start: November 18, 2020
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2024
• Study Completion: July 1, 2024
• Last Updated: August 7, 2025
• Results First Posted: July 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)