An empirical analysis of economic evaluation of Japanese teleradiology and telepathology

Tsuji, Motomu; Miyahara, Shoichi; Taoka, Fumio; Iizuka, Chikako; Teshima, Masaaki

doi:10.1109/health.2006.246420

Cited by 1 publication

(4 citation statements)

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“…Among these studies, 12 were published in English [ 34 - 45 ] and five in Japanese [ 27 , 46 - 49 ]. The service settings of telemedicine were categorized into two major types: those connecting physicians for specialist consultations (the MD–MD setting) [ 34 , 35 , 37 - 39 , 49 ] and those connecting healthcare providers and patients [ 27 , 36 , 40 - 48 ], which were further sub-categorized into settings connecting physicians and patients at home (the MD–Patient setting), and those connecting public health nurses and patients at home (the PhNrs–Patient setting).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Clinical disciplines within MD–MD settings included dermatological consultation [ 35 ], pediatric medical consultation [ 49 ], emergency radiotherapy for malignant spinal cord compression [ 34 ], real-time computed tomography (CT) scan indication [ 37 ], teleradiology, and telepathology [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Four studies [ 27 , 43 - 45 ] measured medical expenditure saved due to telemedicine, without calculating the input telemedicine cost or showing equal health outcomes. The remaining seven studies [ 38 , 39 , 41 , 42 , 46 , 47 , 49 ] measured willingness-to-pay (WTP) for using telemedicine. There were no CEA or CUA studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There were two studies conducted by one study group to estimate medical providers’ WTP for teleradiology and telepathology [ 38 , 39 ]. These two studies applied different statistical methods for the same set of survey data obtained from healthcare providers across Japan, who used either teleradiology or telepathology in an MD–MD setting.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Systematic Review of the Economic Evaluation of Telemedicine in Japan

Akiyama

Yoo

2016

J Prev Med Public Health

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Objectives:There is no systematic review on economic evaluations of telemedicine in Japan, despite over 1000 trials implemented. Our systematic review aims to examine whether Japan’s telemedicine is cost-saving or cost-effective, examine the methodological rigorousness of the economic evaluations, and discuss future studies needed to improve telemedicine’s financial sustainability.Methods:We searched five databases, including two Japanese databases, to find peer-reviewed articles published between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2014 in English and Japanese that performed economic evaluations of Japan’s telemedicine programs. The methodological rigorousness of the economic analyses was assessed with a well-established checklist. We calculated the benefit-to-cost ratio (BCR) when a reviewed study reported related data but did not report the BCR. All cost values were adjusted to 2014 US dollars.Results:Among the 17 articles identified, six studies reported on settings connecting physicians for specialist consultations, and eleven studies on settings connecting healthcare providers and patients at home. There are three cost-benefit analyses and three cost-minimization analyses. The remaining studies measured the benefit of telemedicine only, using medical expenditure saved or users’ willingness-to-pay. There was substantial diversity in the methodological rigorousness. Studies on teledermatology and teleradiology indicated a favorable level of economic efficiency. Studies on telehomecare gave mixed results. One cost-benefit analysis on telehomecare indicated a low economic efficiency, partly due to public subsidy rules, e.g., a too short budget period.Conclusions:Overall, telemedicine programs in Japan were indicated to have a favorable level of economic efficiency. However, the scarcity of the economic literature indicates the need for further rigorous economic evaluation studies.

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