Value in Health Regional Issues: Quantifying the Societal Benefits of Telehealth

Telehealth has seen a massive spike in utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic, but questions remain as to its economic value as the world attempts to return to business as usual. In a paper published in the March 2022 issue of ISPOR’s Value in Health, researchers analyzed telehealth’s economic and societal benefits using data collected from Australia from July 2017 to June 2018. The study found substantial benefits from the practice.

According to the article, “A total of 30 149 outpatient consults were identified for this analysis. It was estimated that the use of telehealth for these outpatient consults avoided 9 644 569 km of travel (5 992 857 miles) and 27 068 days away from usual activities. Using the average Australian wage and the estimated travel time for these outpatient telehealth consults, the overall productivity gain for society was estimated at A$9 176 052 or A$304 per consult.”

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(Source: Value in Health Regional Issues, March 1^st, 2022)