Page 6 Unlocking The Potential of Physician to Patient Telehealth Services The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation

readmission for other illnesses. Patients reported high levels of satisfaction with the quality
of care they received, were better educated on their condition, and reported feeling more
motivated to improve and more involved with their treatment. The VHA also reported
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significantly lower hospital readmission rates for patients using remote monitoring at home
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to track chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes.
The largest controlled experiment of telehealth in the world, conducted by the British
Department of Health, found that telehealth patients spent around 14 percent less time in
hospital beds and emergency rooms than other patients. More strikingly, the study found a
45 percent reduction in mortality rates among patients using remote monitoring systems.
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The study concluded that up to three million British citizens with chronic diseases could
experience life improvement with remote monitoring systems. While many different
studies on telehealth programs produce a wide array of results, the existing literature
supports the hypothesis that telehealth can reduce hospital visits and mortality.
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Telehealth also has the potential to improve the level of care patients receive in intensive
care units (ICUs). ICUs in the United States serve six million patients per year at the cost
If 25 percent of primary of a full 1 percent of GDP. The use of electronic intensive care units (eICUs) allows
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care office visits were physicians who specialize in intensive care to serve multiple patients in different locations
done using telehealth using telecommunications. Having an intensivist on call is important for improving health
instead of in person, care outcomes, but it is an expensive proposition for smaller hospitals. The University of
Americans would save Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center found in a limited study that use of eICUs
reduced mortality by 20 percent, and estimated that a state-wide eICU initiative would
$1.2 billion per year; the save 350 additional lives and $122 million per year.
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total cost savings would
exceed $5 billion if the Convenience

time spent traveling to see Using videoconferencing and remote monitoring can increase efficiency and convenience
for both physicians and patients. Patients who can be seen by a doctor remotely will not
a doctor is included. have to spend as much time traveling and waiting to be seen by a doctor. Even with
appointments to see doctors, patients usually spend considerable time in waiting rooms
reading three month old magazines. In fact, nationwide patients spend an average of 23
minutes in the waiting room before seeing a doctor. Using the average hourly wage in the
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United States as the lost opportunity cost of that waiting, if 25 percent of primary care
office visits were done using telehealth instead of in person, Americans would save $1.2
billion per year, and if we assume that the average travel time to and from the doctor is 70
minutes, the total cost savings would exceed $5 billion.
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Appointments can take place in a home or office setting, reducing absenteeism from work
and school. In addition, telehealth can make it easier for patients with limited mobility or
patients who do not have access to transportation to see a health care provider. Elderly
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individuals unable to drive, for example, can see their doctor without having to leave home.

Long wait times to see a doctor are a problem in cities across the United States. The
average wait time for a new patient to see a doctor is 18.5 days, and in some cities like
Boston, the average wait time to for a new patient to see a family doctor is 66 days.
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Because telehealth allows patients to access doctors throughout the entire nation, not just

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