Oncology Telehealth Cuts Costs for Some Patients

January 23, 2023

A newly published paper in JAMA Network Open shows that some cancer patients saved significantly on travel costs by using telehealth oncology services. The study looked at completed telehealth visits from 11,688 adult patients up to 65 years of age and analyzed travel costs and loss of productivity due to an in-person visit.

According to Mark Melchionna, “The cost models of the study show that the estimated mean total cost savings ranged from $147.4 at $0.56 per mile to $186.1 at $0.82 per mile. However, these cost savings differed between new or established and follow-up visits. Among new or established visits, the mean total cost savings per visit fell between $176.6 at $0.56 per mile and $222.8 at $0.82 per mile. For follow-up visits, these figures fell between $141.1 at $0.56 per mile and $178.1 at $0.82 per mile. Based on these findings, researchers concluded that telehealth did help save patient time and travel costs.”

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