Use of the Remote Clinical Communications System at Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center.
Abstract
As Department of Defense dollars shrink, Army Medical Department personnel must find cost-effective methods to deliver quality medical care to beneficiaries stationed where medical specialists are not assigned. While general practice physicians are available in these areas, specialists are centrally located at major medical centers. Currently, the normal method for providing a specialty consult is to aeromedically evacuate the patient to the medical center. Many times, the patient requires only a clinic visit. However, evacuation costs represent thirty to fifty times the visit cost. With rapid advances in computer and telecommunications technology, it is now possible for a patient to receive a medical consult from a specialty physician located thousands of miles away. This study determined whether the Remote Clinical Consultation System (RCCS), was a cost-effective method of providing consults. The average cost of evacuating 353 outpatients to Landstuhl Army Regional Medical Center (LARMC) was $2963.05. Were these patients treated using RCCS, the cost would have been $264.65, saving $2698.40. Installing RCCS at one site costs $16,533.00, therefore a clinic must consult seven patients to break-even. Analysis of referral rates indicates that military clinics/hospitals in Europe will meet this break-even point.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA292937
Entities
People
- Robert F. Reeder
Organizations
- Academy of Health Sciences