Not only more convenient, a new study claims, telemedicine appointments also save money to patients and health care systems, too. Researchers recently published in JAMA Network Open that telemedicine visits cost five times cheaper than face-to-face visit in the most frequent conditions.
Telemedicine patients have an average bill of less than 400 dollars and are less probable to require follow-ups in case of their initial visit.
Before conducting the study, many believed telemedicine served only as a temporary fix that delayed in-person treatment and drove up overall costs, said co-senior researcher David Asch, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania.
Telemedicine Proves Cost-Effective Beyond Convenience
According to our work, it was not so, and telemedicine can be a full-fledged solution to many patients, not a quick-fix band-aid as Asch said in a news release. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telemedicine increased significantly because emergency requirements increased virtual access to care.
In the University of Pennsylvania health system, the number of telemedicine visits grew by 90 times, to roughly one million visits between March 2020 and February 2021, as opposed to 11,000 visits in 2019. Although this was growing fast, there were doubts regarding the effectiveness and cost efficiency of telemedicine in the long run.
Study Tracks 160,000 Visits Across Common Conditions
Yong Chen, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania, senior researcher, said that mental and behavioral health is not the same that telemedicine can cover. In the research, the researchers compared over 160,000 doctor visits (physical and virtual) in four months in 2024.
They analyzed 10 frequent problems, such as COVID, respiratory problems, neurodevelopment issues, sleep issues and anxiety. Follow-ups were followed to determine the need of cases by seven days prior to the first visit to 30 days after and hence assessing the needs. The results indicated that the mean cost of a telemedicine visit was 96 dollars as opposed to 509 dollars in case of face-to-face visit.
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Mental Health Costs Similar, But Follow-Ups Lower
The number of follow-up appointments needed during telemedicine visits was three and the number of visits needed during in-person visits was above four. Treatment of respiratory illnesses was much cheaper through virtual means, and telemedicine would save about $800 per case.
Researchers had found that mental health care is equally expensive regardless of whether it is done in person or through the internet.
Bingyu Zhang, the lead researcher, described the fact that psychiatric care is largely based on counseling and medication management rather than on procedures, the costs are comparable regardless of the type of visit. Scientists stressed that Congress must provide funding to preserve the expanded telehealth access introduced during COVID.
Kevin Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, warned that the cost savings could disappear if telemedicine returns to its limited pre-pandemic model, making it harder to sustain innovation and patient care.
