Deploying telemedicine programs to referring hospitals can result in increased referrals, revenue and market share, according to a study in Telemedicine and e-Health.
Researchers examined hospital and physician billing records for 2,029 pediatric patients transferred to a tertiary children's hospital from 16 referring hospitals that had implemented telemedicine programs between July 2003 and December 2010.
Results showed that the referrals to the children's hospital increased from 143 to 285 following the deployment of telemedicine. These patients increased the hospital's average annual revenue from $2.4 million to $4 million.
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