Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research

Cost reduction is an often-cited reason to use telemedicine. In assessing telemedicine's cost and value, providers often turn to published cost analyses in the scientific literature for guidance. In this commentary on existing telemedicine cost analysis literature, we discuss the generalizabili...

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Main Authors: Julia Ivanova, Beju Shah, Carrie Foote, Mollie R. Cummins
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:Digital Health
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314552
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author Julia Ivanova
Beju Shah
Carrie Foote
Mollie R. Cummins
author_facet Julia Ivanova
Beju Shah
Carrie Foote
Mollie R. Cummins
author_sort Julia Ivanova
collection DOAJ
description Cost reduction is an often-cited reason to use telemedicine. In assessing telemedicine's cost and value, providers often turn to published cost analyses in the scientific literature for guidance. In this commentary on existing telemedicine cost analysis literature, we discuss the generalizability of these analyses and identify the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework to help assess the applicability of a given cost analysis using inner- and outer-setting constructs. Outer-setting factors—location, practice type, and specialty—can substantially affect telemedicine cost and value, as can the implementation setting. While the body of evidence shows telemedicine may often reduce costs, there is still a need for robust cost analyses to guide implementation decisions as telemedicine becomes a mainstay of healthcare provision. Along with a call for more cost research, we ultimately argue that providers should consider a more holistic, value-based approach to determining when and how telemedicine implementation could benefit healthcare delivery.
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spelling doaj-art-3d4707010a914f66b937b2a0586a3fc52025-01-29T14:03:51ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762025-01-011110.1177/20552076251314552Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation researchJulia Ivanova0Beju Shah1Carrie Foote2Mollie R. Cummins3 Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Charleston, SC, USA Doxy.me Research, Doxy.me Inc., Charleston, SC, USA Southwest Telehealth Resource Center, Tucson, CA, USA College of Nursing, University of Utah College of Nursing, Salt Lake City, UT, USACost reduction is an often-cited reason to use telemedicine. In assessing telemedicine's cost and value, providers often turn to published cost analyses in the scientific literature for guidance. In this commentary on existing telemedicine cost analysis literature, we discuss the generalizability of these analyses and identify the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework to help assess the applicability of a given cost analysis using inner- and outer-setting constructs. Outer-setting factors—location, practice type, and specialty—can substantially affect telemedicine cost and value, as can the implementation setting. While the body of evidence shows telemedicine may often reduce costs, there is still a need for robust cost analyses to guide implementation decisions as telemedicine becomes a mainstay of healthcare provision. Along with a call for more cost research, we ultimately argue that providers should consider a more holistic, value-based approach to determining when and how telemedicine implementation could benefit healthcare delivery.https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314552
spellingShingle Julia Ivanova
Beju Shah
Carrie Foote
Mollie R. Cummins
Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research
Digital Health
title Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research
title_full Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research
title_fullStr Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research
title_short Assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine: Insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research
title_sort assessing the costs and savings of telemedicine insights from the consolidated framework for implementation research
url https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076251314552
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