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The breakeven point for implementing telehealth.
Centaine L Snoswell1, Monica L Taylor1, Liam J Caffery1
1Centre for Health, Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
|October 22, 2019
Summary
Telehealth can be cost-saving for healthcare systems, with breakeven points ranging from under a year to nine years. Some telehealth services, like remote monitoring, achieve cost savings faster than others.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Healthcare systems face increasing disease burden and costs, necessitating sustainable optimization strategies.
- Telehealth is being investigated for its potential to enhance the economic sustainability of healthcare.
- This study focuses on determining the breakeven point for telehealth implementation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the economic viability of telehealth services.
- To identify the breakeven point for telehealth implementation, marking when initial investments are recovered and cost savings become evident.
Main Methods:
- Conducted literature searches for telehealth and economic evaluation studies.
- Included articles reporting health system perspectives, cost savings, and sufficient data for breakeven point calculation.
Main Results:
- Less than half of reviewed studies reported cost savings from telehealth.
- Breakeven points were calculable for 12 studies, ranging from under 1 year to 9 years.
- Store-and-forward and remote monitoring services showed quicker breakeven points compared to videoconferencing.
Conclusions:
- Telehealth demonstrates cost-saving potential for healthcare systems in certain applications.
- The timeframe for achieving breakeven in telehealth implementation varies, from immediate to several years.
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