An empirical analysis of the reduction in medical expenditure by e-health users.
We examined the medical expenditure of elderly residents who used an e-health system in Nishiaizu town. Since 1994, health-related data, such as blood pressure, ECG and blood oxygen, have been transmitted to a remote medical institution via a telecommunications network. We selected 412 users from the list of registered e-health users in the town. We also selected 450 residents who were not e-health users. We sent them questionnaires and obtained 199 valid responses from e-health users and 209 from non-users. Then we examined the receipts of these 408 people, which were kept in paper form in the town office. Based on a multiple regression analysis, we found that users of the e-health system had lower medical expenditure for lifestyle-related illness than non-users. The medical expenditure of e-health users was lower than that of non-users by 15,302 yen (US $133) per year. This amount was approximately 21% of the average annual medical expenditure of the residents. The results also showed that: long-time users of e-health had lower medical expenditure on lifestyle-related illness; long-time users of e-health had lower medical expenditure than those who used it for a shorter time; e-health had more effect on people with diseases than those without.
Graduate School of Applied Informatics, University of Hyogo, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
Yuji
Y
Akematsu
Masatsugu
M
Tsuji
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics*