The need for economic evaluation of telemedicine to evolve: the experience in Alberta, Canada.
Economic evaluation of telemedicine applications is required to provide decision makers in health care with appropriate information on costs and benefits of this information and communications technology. The level of economic evaluation should evolve as telemedicine applications mature. At the basic level, economic evaluation may include basic cost analysis and primarily observational data on nonmonetary benefits. The focus will change as telemedicine programs develop. At this intermediate level, practice patterns and workforce issues are addressed as they affect utilization and costs of telemedicine services. Longer-term economic evaluation, thus far not achieved in telemedicine assessment, should focus on assessment of health outcomes and economic impact. Alberta, Canada has made progress assessing telemedicine applications in psychiatry, radiology, rheumatology, and rehabilitation. Data availability and analytic resources continue to present challenges to economic assessment of telemedicine.
Hailey
David
D
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Jennett
Penny
P
D000416:Alberta; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006291:Health Policy / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000191:economics*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics*