Even though the initial costs to deploy telemedicine in intensive care units can exceed $100,000 per bed, the cost savings from the resulting decreased lengths of stay make the investment financially worthwhile, according to a study in Telemedicine and e-Health.
Researchers examined literature regarding the costs and financial returns on tele-ICUs published within the last 10 years, 55 articles in all. The results of this literature review found tele-ICUs result in both decreased lengths of stay and subsequent cost reductions of up to 24 percent.
Additionally, the use of telemedicine in the ICU was found to be associated with improved patient outcomes and satisfaction. "The implementation of tele-ICU has had long-term financial benefits and an increase of patient safety and patient satisfaction," said the researchers. "Tele-ICU has the potential to be the wave of the future in intensive care medicine due to the cost savings and improvement of provided quality of care."
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