Study: Pediatric telehealth leads to big savings

Looking for a cost-saver in your hospital's pediatric department? Look into telehealth, says a Defense Department study on pediatric telehealth visits.

A three-year study in the Pacific Rim shows telehealth can significantly trim costs in pediatric practice. Called the Pacific Asynchronous TeleHealth (PATH) program, the DoD project has saved the military as much as $750,000 per year by allowing provider-to-provider communications, most notably for patients in remote areas where pediatric specialists aren't available, researchers say. The big savings: Telehealth consults kept patients from having to be transferred to larger facilities up to 43 percent of the time. "Internet-based pediatric subspecialty teleconsultation provides fast, convenient, cost-effective, quality pediatric care to populations of patients who might otherwise require transfer to a distant medical facility for more advanced care," study authors say.