Fd. Malone et al., COST ISSUES SURROUNDING THE USE OF COMPUTERIZED TELEMEDICINE FOR OBSTETRIC ULTRASONOGRAPHY, Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology, 12(2), 1998, pp. 120-124
Citations number
8
Categorie Soggetti
Acoustics,"Obsetric & Gynecology","Radiology,Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Objective The purpose of this study was to describe the cost implicati
ons of converting an established videotape review network for obstetri
c ultrasonography to one based on telemedicine technology. Design Retr
ospective review of fixed and non-fixed costs associated with interpre
ting obstetric ultrasound examinations using both videotape and teleme
dicine transmission. Subjects A network of three community offices tra
nsmitting 600 obstetric ultrasound examinations per month to a central
tertiary level facility. Methods Sonographers at the community office
s record ultrasound examinations onto videotape, which are then sent b
y courier to a central facility for interpretation. As the completion
of this videotaped examination, sonographers repent the ultrasound sca
n while transmitting real-time images over a telemedicine link to the
central facility. Costs associated with the videotape review technique
that can be avoided by converting to telemedicine interpretation were
derived and compared with the fixed and non-fixed costs associated wi
th establishing the telemedicine network. Results For this network, th
e fixed costs for establishing telemedicine are $101 750. Monthly non-
fixed cost savings by eliminating videotape review include $1620 to $2
700 for printing still images, $1200 for courier charges and $7000 for
fewer repeat ultrasound examinations. Monthly non-fixed costs for the
telemedicine network are $2415. Net monthly savings in non-fixed cost
s for a telemedicine network me therefore $7405 to $8585, which may pa
y for the initial fixed costs in 12 to 14 months. Conclusions The high
cost of a telemedicine network may be offset by possible savings in n
on-fixed costs compared with alternative systems for interpreting obst
etric ultrasonography.