Think about it. When you need the advice of a doctor, telemedicine means you are able to choose whether you must go to the doctor’s office or hospital or simply pick up your smartphone or log onto your computer for a consultation. That can save you time, frustration, and the price tag of a face-to-face doctor’s appointment.
But what about the positive impact of not having to drive anywhere?
Most of the analysis up until now focuses on the bottom line of health plans and employers, but researchers at University of California Davis decided to look at the broader benefits – like basic driving costs.
The results, which examined clinical records of more than 19,000 patients over two decades found that telemedicine visits saved patients nearly nine years of travel time, five million miles and $3 million in costs.
The Study Details
Published in the online journal Value in Health, researchers looked at UC Davis’s clinical records from 1996 to 2013, evaluating inpatient and outpatient interactive video visits for 19,246 patients.
Usually, each patient still had an initial face-to-face appointment with their primary care doctor, but follow up appointments were managed through a video consultation with a UC Davis specialist. Like video chatting with a doctor.
Researchers looked overall cost savings from the patients travel to a telemedicine center near their home versus traveling to UC Davis Health in Sacramento for specialty care.
Here are the detailed findings:
- Collectively, telemedicine visits saved patients nearly nine years of travel time, five million miles and $3 million in costs.
- At an individual level, over two decades one person could see a cost savings of four hours of driving time, 278 miles and $156 in direct travel costs.
This study only encompassed one region of California, but being such a large state, there are many rural areas that are under served by quality medical care options and reliable public transportation.
Study investigator James Marcin stated that the measurable costs of gas, mileage and time represent valid savings to patients using telemedicine.
“Our findings confirm the benefits of telemedicine in terms of real savings to patients and to the environment,” Marcin, who is also chief of the UC Davis Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, said in a statement. “Because telemedicine is cheaper and more convenient for patients in remote areas, they are more likely to seek medical care. Many patients do not have the time or resources to access health care many miles from home.”
UC Davis researchers also measured the environmental impacts specifically from all the avoided car travel.
Telemedicine saved the air quality by cutting:
- almost 2,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide
- 50 metric tons of carbon monoxide
- 3.7 metric tons of nitrogen oxides
- 5.5 metric tons of volatile organic compounds.
While this study showed promising benefits, it still didn’t impress some skeptics. One survey by the Rand Corporation, published in the journal Health Affairs questioned the actual cost savings of telehealth, contending it could increase costs because patients might avoid face-to-face visits for proper diagnosis.
Will UC Davis Lead the Way for Others?
Since 1992, UC Davis has been using telemedicine. It has expanded services to meet demands, offering 30 clinical specialties in over 150 locations, representing 56 out of California’s 58 counties.
Advances on the side of technology are making such services intuitive to the patients and physicians’ needs. Marcin stated that even greater cost savings to the patient will occur as more affordable, sophisticated tools are developed, allowing patients greater choices in how telemedicine is accessed.
Telemedicine is probably never going to replace face-to-face appointment entirely, however. Marcin still stands behind patients seeing a primary care doctor for initial diagnosis, but much can be saved in follow-up consultations via telemedicine avenues.
“I believe that telemedicine not only results in equivalent health care for patients in remote areas but better care, particularly for those with complex medical conditions,” Marcin said in a statement. “Our goal of telemedicine is not to save the health care system money but to improve patient care, and I believe it does this.”
Convenience and Savings are in Your Future
Telemedicine is popular among patients looking for an affordable and convenient way to address common health concerns, without being required to have a face-to-face doctor’s appointment for a physical examination.
According to Forbes, video consultations between primary care physicians and their patients will double by 2020 – an estimated 5.4 million video appointments will be conducted.
It is believed that as many as 15% of patient in-person visits with their doctor could be replaced by telemedicine visits. Essentially, the medical issues behind those visits fit the criteria for proper diagnosis and treatment via a telemedicine appointment.
The medical issues include, for example, the common cold, urinary tract infections, skin rashes, bronchitis, allergic reactions, male impotence and many others, all of which can be easily addressed through an electronic appointment – saving time and money.
Telemedicine is poised to deliver even more in 2017. Experts are predicting diverse, unprecedented growth in virtual healthcare services in the coming year, which will improve access to nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and health professionals.
This means more Americans are expected to take control of their healthcare options by leveraging smartphones, apps, and related digital health technology to “see” their doctor and obtain treatment faster and easier.
CEO of the American Telemedicine Association, Jonathan Linkous, says that people will see increased growth and more diversification coming to telemedicine this year.
This includes:
- More integration with major health systems, which will be adopting telemedicine as a “need” rather than a “want.” In the past virtual office visits were seen as a goal, but today they are an important component of their immediate strategies for 2017.
- The year will bring significant growth as telemedicine is used in new and diverse ways. Providers are moving away from fee per service to managed care approaches, which Linkous says opens up huge opportunities for telemedicine.
Making Healthcare and Prescriptions Easier to Provide and Receive
Seeing a doctor in person has become a greater challenge for many people and even more difficult if the patient lives in a remote area with limited services. There is a nationwide shortage of primary care providers.
But, a virtual appointment with a doctor breaks the boundaries set by having to have a face-to-face appointment to receive basic diagnosis, monitoring, treatment, and prescriptions.
According to one recent analysis, telemedicine has the potential to exponentially lower health care costs, by as much as $6 billion annually, for U.S. employers. With 67% of employers offering telemedicine today and 90% expected to by 2018, telemedicine is an important, cost-effective choice in health care options for the future.
Many hospitals (and insurance companies) are supporting the move to telemedicine because it has proven to reduce hospital stays and cut associated costs. In fact, the average cost of an online consultation with a doctor is about $50, versus an average of $80 for an in-office visit.
The American Telemedicine Association states that 20% to 30% of face-to-face visits can be achieved in alternative, non-face-to-face venues. Telehealth has specific benefits to people who use it.
- Access to remote or hard to see specialists and well as faster access to primary care. This means that the quality of service you receive may be better than if you settled for a doctor close-by or waited for a hard to get appointment.
- With specialized conditions, virtual healthcare options not only allows patients in rural or underserved area to gain access to a qualified specialist quickly, it enables hospitals to re-brand themselves and expand their reach to more patients in need of service.
For a patient, telemedicine may be something to consider because of its ease and cost savings benefits. This is especially true when it comes to accessing prescriptions for basic healthcare needs. It is perfect for the treatment of easy to diagnose conditions like the flu, bronchitis, conjunctivitis, UTIs, back pain, and Male impotence, just to name a few.
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