Telehealth’s Impact On Improved Healthcare Delivery
A growing number of third-party studies document how telehealth can positively impact the way healthcare is delivered. From acute care to chronic care for those living with diabetes, congestive heart failure or hypertension, a wide range of patient populations can benefit from telehealth.
Documented results using a variety of technologies – including American Well’s Online Care – demonstrate that telehealth is helping physicians and patients to:
- Shift appropriate visits away from high-cost settings
- 87% of acute patients would have gone to an urgent care clinic, had an office visit, or gone to a retail clinic if they hadn’t used telehealth¹
- Reduce cost of managing chronic patient populations
- $1,600 spent per patient/annum for patients using telehealth to support their chronic conditions, as compared to $13,121 per patient/annum for those using home-based primary care services, and $77,745 per patient/annum for those using market nursing home care services²
- Reduce unnecessary hospital readmissions
- 51% reduction in number of admissions among angina patients, after three months of discharge³
- 19.7% reduction in hospital admissions among Veterans with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, congestive heart failure and post-traumatic stress disorder²
- Lower number of days spent in hospitals
- 61% reduction in number of days spent in the hospital among angina patients, after three months of discharge³
- 25.3% reduction in bed days of care (BDOC) among Veterans with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure and post-traumatic stress disorder²
- 14% reduction in bed days among patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes heart failure and COPD⁴
- Improve patient outcomes
- 45% reduction in mortality rates among patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure and COPD⁴
- About 69% of patients who had at least two live, interactive telemedicine consultations with dermatologists in a year saw clinical improvements.⁵
- Improve access to care for remotely-located patients
- 88% of physicians stated telemedicine effective for initial psychiatry consultations with their child and adolescent patients living in nonmetropolitan communities⁶
- 86% of physicians stated telemedicine effective for follow-up psychiatry consultations with their child and adolescent patients living in nonmetropolitan communities⁶
- Create high satisfaction among patients and providers
- 90% of patients reported they were very satisfied or satisfied with the telehealth service, based on greater convenience, time as well as cost savings⁷
- 89% of physicians willing to use telehealth again in the future⁶
Sources:
1 “The Doctor is Now Online.” Muller, S. Employee Benefits Planner. March 2011.
2 “Care Coordination/Home Telehealth: The Systematic Implementation of Health Informatics, Home Telehealth, and Disease Management to Support the Care of Veteran Patients with Chronic Conditions.” Darkins, A., M.D. et al. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Care Coordination Services. Washington, D.C. Vol. 14 No. 10.December 2008.
3 “Telehome Monitoring in Patients With Cardiac Disease Who Are at High Risk of Readmission.” A. Kirsten Woodend, MD, MSc, PhD, et al. Heart Lung. 2008;37:36–45.
4 UK Department of Health, Whole System Demonstrator Programme: Headline Findings. December 2011.
5 “Impact of Live Interactive Teledermatology on Diagnosis, Disease Management, and Clinical Outcomes.” Lamel, S MD et al. Arch Dermatol. 2012;148(1):61-65.
6 “Feasibility, Acceptability, and Sustainability of Telepsychiatry for Children and Adolescents.” Myers, K.M., M.D., M.P.H., Valentine, J.M., Ph.D., Melzer,S.M., M.D., M.B.A. Psychiatric Services. psychiatryonline.org. November 2007. Vol. 58. No. 11.
7 “Point, Click, Get Care: Online Care Brings Healthcare Directly to Employees at Work or Home.” Schoenberg, R. CHDC Solutions. March/April 2011.
