Anthem Citing the Cost Savings of Providing Telehealth Services for Members

As the popularity of telehealth visits increases rapidly (see:Telehealth use surged in 2017), better data is being acquired about the advantages of this approach to healthcare, particularly the cost savings. A recent article addressed this issue with an excerpt below (see:Telehealth eliminates time and distance to save money):In the argument of whether telehealth increases or decreases utilization,Anthem is squarely on the side of the latter and has been ramping up its efforts to expand virtual services to members. Employers want it because it saves money and telehealth can keep employees on the job rather than leaving work to see their primary care doctor or go to urgent care or the emergency room....Anthem has decreased the copay for these visits to $5, compared to a $25 to $35 copay if a member visits their primary care doctor.AnAnthem HealthCore study of claims analysis for utilization of acute, non-urgent care found telehealth saved 6% in episode of care costs by diverting members who would otherwise have gone to the emergency room. The savings were $201 per episode of care in 2014 and 2015 dollars, which would be about $242 today, for 11 conditions....The follow-up rate suggests adequate clinical resolution and that patients are not using virtual visits as a first step before seeking in-person care....Data released last year by theAdvisory Board, citingHealth Care Cost Institute analysis, found office visits to primary care doctors decreased by 18% from 2012 to 20...

Source: Lab Soft News - October 21, 2019 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Cost of Healthcare Healthcare Delivery Healthcare Insurance Medical Research Public Health Telemedicine Source Type: blogs