Why telemedicine?

Telemedicine itself is use of telecommunication technology to provide medical information and medical service of users who are at a distance from the medical staff, i.e. Telemedicine is medicine practiced from a distance. It includes monitoring, transmission and data processing. Its basic goals are:
  • to reach people’s homes in order to track the patient’s condition in their usual environment in real time.
  • through data storage to create artificial intellect and with its help through analysis to make prognosis and timely treat several cardiovascular diseases.
  • preventive medical care
  • reducing the cost of medical services
  • service to remote sites leading to elimination of isolation
  • increase of the medical service level

In the future telemedicine is likely to gain growing popularity due to the convenience it offers. It is a natural development of the medicine known to us so far. Besides the constant connection to a specialist, monitoring the patient’s condition another basic advantage is the lower price and offering qualified medical help from a distance. No more long queuing before the surgery. Through telemedicine the access to qualified medical service in remote areas will not be a problem anymore.

According to U.K. Dept. of Health Study:

  • Using remote monitoring technology to keep tabs on patients’ blood sugar and cardiopulmonary disease can reduce the risk of patient mortality by up to 45%.
Telehealth can deliver:
  • 15% reduction in emergency room visits 89. 20% reduction in emergency admissions 90. 14% reduction in elective admissions 91. 14% reduction in bed days92. 8% reduction in tariff costs.

Source: U.K. Department of Health

According to the American Hospitals Association:
  1. 70% of the “most wired” hospitals in America already provide telehealth. A previous pilot study conducted by the NHS reviewed three cities with over 6,000 patients suffering from three primary conditions: diabetes, heart failure or COPD. The results include:
  2. Remote monitoring reduced mortality rates by 45% 96. 15% reduction in emergency room visits
  3. 20% reduction in emergency admissions
  4. 14% reduction in bed days
  5. 8% reduction in total costs per patient

Source: NHS

Joint Telehealth Program Key performed by Philips and Banner Health Findings

An analysis of the results of each patient’s first six months demonstrated that the program:

  • Reduced costs of care by 27 percent. This cost savings was driven primarily by a reduction in hospitalization rates and days in the hospital, as well as a reduction in professional service and outpatient costs.
  • Reduced acute and long term care costs by 32 percent. This cost reduction was primarily due to a significant decrease in hospitalizations.
  • Reduced hospitalizations by 45 percent. Prior to enrollment in the IAC program, there were 11.5 hospitalizations per 100 patients per month; after enrollment, the acute and long-term hospitalization rate dropped to 6.3 hospitalizations per 100 patients per month.
  • Acute short term hospital stays decreased from 7.7 hospitalizations per 100 patients per month to 4.9.
  • Long term care, home health or other facility stays decreased from 3.9 hospitalizations per 100 patients per month to 1.4.
  • Average number of days in the hospital per 100 patients per month also trended down from 90.2 to 65.8.