U.S. study finds telemedicine reduces costs, results in comparable follow-up referrals

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NBHC Sustainability
July 18, 2018

A study from American healthcare provider Humana shows:

  • Telemedicine visits were paid out at an average of three-times less than the cost of a face-to-face consultation;
  • While follow-up referrals were slightly higher for telehealth over a two-week period, referrals for the first two months were lower for telemedicine visits (56% compared to 60% in-office);
  • Telemedicine had slightly higher numbers for physician (7%), ER (1%) and urgent care referrals (1%) compared to in-office for those referrals; and
  • Doctors who saw patients remotely prescribed antibiotics at a lower rate (36%) than doctors in-office (40%).
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U.S. study finds telemedicine reduces costs, results in comparable follow-up re…