Study: Telemedicine a cost-effective alternative to ER visits

HealthDay/Washington Post, May 12, 2008

A community-wide study in Rochester, NY, found that telemedicine is a cost-effective way to replace more than a quarter of all visits to the pediatric emergency department. Ailments that virtually always prove manageable by telemedicine made up almost 28 percent of all pediatric ER visits in Rochester during one year, according to researchers. They analyzed data for all pediatric visits to the largest emergency department in the city and, based on their experience, they determined at least 12,000 visits were ones they routinely treat with success via telemedicine.