A business case for tele-intensive care units
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Alberto Coustasse1, Stacie Deslich2, Deanna Bailey3
1Associate Professor of Management, Marketing, and Management Information Systems at Marshall University in Charleston, WV. coustassehen@marshall.edu.
Objectives:
A tele-intensive care unit (tele-ICU) uses telemedicine in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting, applying technology to provide care to critically ill patients by off-site clinical resources. The purpose of this review was to examine the implementation, adoption, and utilization of tele-ICU systems by hospitals to determine their efficiency and efficacy as identified by cost savings and patient outcomes.
Methods:
This literature review examined a large number of studies of implementation of tele-ICU systems in hospitals.
Results:
The evidence supporting cost savings was mixed. Implementation of a tele-ICU system was associated with cost savings, shorter lengths of stay, and decreased mortality. However, two studies suggested increased hospital cost after implementation of tele-ICUs is initially expensive but eventually results in cost savings and better clinical outcomes.
Conclusions:
Intensivists working these systems are able to more effectively treat ICU patients, providing better clinical outcomes for patients at lower costs compared with hospitals without a tele-ICU.