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Cited by 82Telemedicine and Telehealth ImplementationHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeHealthcare Systems and Technology

Economic Evaluation of Interactive Teledermatology Compared with Conventional Care

Armstrong, April W., Dorer, David J., Lugn, Nancy E., Kvedar, Joseph C.·2007·Telemedicine and e-Health
DOI 10.1089/tmj.2006.0035
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Abstract

Teledermatology offers a means of providing specialist care to underserved patients. The objectives of this study were to compare the costs of interactive teledermatology with conventional care, and to evaluate from a healthcare provider perspective whether interactive teledermatology is economically viable in the northeastern region of the United States. We studied the interactive teledermatology practice at Nantucket Cottage Hospital on Nantucket Island and the ambulatory clinics at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. The cost-minimization analysis compared the costs of an interactive teledermatology practice with that of a face-to-face dermatology clinic. One-way sensitivity analyses examined the effect of varying the costs of technology, physician compensation, or clinic space on the overall cost of interactive teledermatology. We also assessed the economic viability of the interactive teledermatology practice by comparing the operating costs with reimbursements. The total hourly operating costs for the interactive teledermatology practice on Nantucket Island and the face-to-face clinic in Boston were $274 and $346, respectively. Three separate one-way sensitivity analyses showed that, for the cost of the teledermatology practice to equal that of the conventional clinic, the cost of teledermatology technology could increase by 9.3-fold, dermatologists working at the teledermatology practice could be compensated up to $197 an hour, or the cost of teledermatology clinic space could reach $57 an hour. Our analysis also showed that the hourly reimbursement for the teledermatology practice was $487, which exceeded its hourly operating cost of $274. The cost of operating an interactive teledermatology practice in a remote region may be less than that of a conventional clinic in a nearby urban center in the northeastern area of the United States. From a healthcare provider perspective, interactive teledermatology can be an economically viable means of providing dermatological care to remote regions.

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  • Many countries have tested the use of telemedicine in dermatology as a way to increase access to health care services when distance is a critical factor.

    “Many countries have tested the use of telemedicine in dermatology as a way to increase access to health care services when distance is a critical factor [18-26].”

    From Use of Smartphones for Early Detection of Melanoma: Systematic Review (2018) · cites this paper as [23]

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Authors
Armstrong, A. W., Dorer, D. J., Lugn, N. E., & Kvedar, J. C.
Affiliations
  • Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Perceptive Informatics, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts.
ORCID
Venue
Telemedicine and e-Health
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2007-04
Volume
13
Issue
2
Pages
91-99
ISSN
  • 1530-5627 (ISSN-L)
  • 1556-3669
DOI
10.1089/tmj.2006.0035
OpenAlex
W1967383559
Cited by
82
References
17
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
FWCI
5.15
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.liebertpub.com/nv/resources-tools/text-and-data-mining-policy/121/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Telemedicine Journal and e-Health (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Healthcare Systems and Technology
Keywords
cost-minimization analysis, economic feasibility, dermatological care, remote healthcare delivery, underserved populations, physician remuneration, operating costs, reimbursement, rural health care, Nantucket
MeSH terms
Costs and Cost Analysis, Dermatology, Humans, Insurance, Health, Reimbursement, Massachusetts, Telemedicine

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