Teleradiology in a military training area

A pilot teleradiology project was established for the medical service providers at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) in Hawaii. It connected them with radiologists at Tripler Army Medical Center (TAMC) on the island of Oahu, approximately 400 km away. This involved changing the standard practice of sending soldiers from the PTA to a civilian hospital in Hilo for radiographs. These emergency trips to Hilo, 55 km away, were expensive, manpower intensive, and dangerous due to road and weather conditions. During 51 days of a training exercise involving 2600 personnel, 29 evacuations were avoided, which would have cost $36,569 in total. The expected savings during one year of training were $176,540. The cost of teleradiology during the first year, including the cost of the equipment, was $167,203. Over five years, the costs and savings were estimated to be $349,940 and $882,700, respectively.