Economic Impact of Remote Specialist Consultations Using Videoconferencing: an Economic Model Based on Data From Randomised Controlled Trials

The University Hospital of North Norway plans to replace some of the outpatient consultations with real-time telemedicine. It has been estimated that 7000 consultations annually can be handled remotely by videoconferencing. As part of this initiative, a project assessing the economic impact of using videoconferencing at scale has been initiated. Cost-effectiveness will be assessed using models based on data from existing randomised controlled trials. A literature search in relevant databases has been conducted to collect data on patient flow and clinical effectiveness (QALYs). Data on the cost parameters will be collected locally. The data on costs and effectiveness parameters will then be synthesised to estimate average group values. Probabilistic methods will be used for estimation of expected outcomes and for sensitivity analysis. This paper describes the planned modelling evaluation, reports the results from the literature review and outlines potential model structures.