A business model for telemedicine.

Casualty Care Research Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, USA. navein@tatrc.org

The US Military Healthcare System commissioned a clinical and business case study for telemedicine in Europe. The aims of the study were to identify the major cost areas by specialty for each European location, to assess the feasibility of a telemedicine alternative and to carry out a cost-benefit analysis. We also examined 2000 consecutive air referrals to determine whether telemedicine could have avoided evacuation. The study showed that 31,000 conventional consultations could be replaced by telemedicine in Europe each year. The potential savings amounted to $3.7 million in travel costs and 25,000 working days. The business and clinical case for telemedicine was strong, thus providing one of the prerequisites for successful telemedicine.

PMID: 10534852 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]