Cost and Potential Savings of Electronic Consultation and Its Relationship with Reduction in Atmospheric Pollution

Daniel Rey Aldana, Francisco Reyes Santias, Pilar Mazón Ramos, Manuel Portela Romero, Sergio Cinza Sanjurjo, Belén Álvarez Álvarez, Rosa Agra Bermejo, Francisco Gude Sampedro and José R. González-Juanatey
Additional contact information
Daniel Rey Aldana: Primary Care (PC) A Estrada, Área Sanitaria Integrada Santiago de Compostela, Servicio Galego da Saúde, A Estrada, 36680 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Francisco Reyes Santias: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Pilar Mazón Ramos: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Manuel Portela Romero: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Sergio Cinza Sanjurjo: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Belén Álvarez Álvarez: Servicio de Cardiología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio Galego da Saúde, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Rosa Agra Bermejo: Servicio de Cardiología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, Servicio Galego da Saúde, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Francisco Gude Sampedro: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
José R. González-Juanatey: Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 22, 1-16

Abstract: Background: Telemedicine has been incorporated into daily clinical practice. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic impact of electronic consultation as a means of referring patients between Primary Care (PC) services and the referral Cardiology Service (CS) of a tertiary hospital, in particular, the cost of reduced air pollution. Methods: The direct and indirect costs associated with all the interconsultations between PC and a CS of a tertiary hospital were analyzed under a universal single act model versus a prior e-consultation model that selected patients who would later attend the single-act consultation. The cost of pollution from private motor vehicle travel by road has been analyzed with a Cobb–Douglas cost function. Results: The total cost per patient, including the costs associated with death, represented a saving in the model with e-consultation of 25.6%. The economic value for the reduction of contamination would be EUR 12.86 per patient. Conclusions: The introduction of e-consultation in the outpatient management of patients referred from PC to a CS, helps to reduce direct and indirect costs for the patient and the Health Care System. The cost of pollution associated with the trips explains the total cost to a greater extent, except for the first face-to-face consultation.

Keywords: electronic practice; efficiency; economic impact; health system (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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