BOSTON – Provider-to-provider telehealth technologies could save healthcare as much as $4.28 billion a year, new research shows.
In findings released last month, The Center for Information Technology Leadership, a not-for-profit research center based at Partners HealthCare System in Boston, said annual savings would be derived from the implementation of robust telehealth systems – with a five-year rollout in emergency departments, correctional institutions, nursing homes and physician offices nationwide.
CITL examined the value of three telehealth technology systems – store-and-forward, real-time video and a hybrid model that combines the first two – in those four settings. It recommends the hybrid model.
By cutting face-to-face visits and redundant or unnecessary tests, researchers say the hybrid system can save $3.61 billion annually. With a five-year rollout nationwide, the break-even point could be reached in the fifth year.
Hybrid technology integrates both store-and-forward and real-time video technologies. For example, a primary care physician takes digital photos of a patient’s rash, and the photos are forwarded to a dermatologist for review. A “visit” is scheduled with the dermatologist, who may be hundreds of miles away. A live video is used during this visit so the dermatologist can speak to the patient and examine the rash.
“Our research findings have significant implications regarding how we can improve the delivery of healthcare in the future,” says Caitlin M. Cusack, MD, a CITL senior analyst and the report’s lead author.
“The current system, where primary care physicians manage as much of a patient’s care as possible, with specialists seen as a last resort, does not seem to be the most effective approach to care. A collaborative model, with a primary care and specialist team involved early with a patient’s care, has the potential to lead to significant cost savings.”
Among the benefits of telehealth, the report cites, are improved quality of care and greater access to care.
“On the national level, the value of provider-to-provider telehealth technologies has broad social implications for those who live in geographically underserved locations,” said Blackford Middleton, MD, chairman of CITL. “With telehealth tools, providers can responsibly treat patients’ health conditions before they become critical and manage chronic conditions before they lead to serious complications.”
“Telehealth technology has enormous opportunity to increase quality while lowering the overall cost of care,” said Joseph C. Kvedar, MD, director of the Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, and a member of CITL’s advisory board.