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Web-based assessment after TJA may offer lower costs than in-person follow-up
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Costs per patient who underwent total joint arthroplasty were lower for society and the health care payer when patients had a web-based follow-up assessment rather than an in-person follow-up, according to recently published data.
Researchers evaluated 229 patients for a minimum of 12 months following total joint arthroplasty (TJA) who either completed follow-up at a specified clinic or through an internet assessment tool. Travel costs, resources used related to the procedure and time spent associated with each option were studied. Cost analyses from health care payer and societal perspective were completed with all costs represented in 2012 Canadian dollars.
Societal costs of follow-up per patient in the internet and clinic cohorts were significantly different, observed as $98 for the internet cohort and $162 for the clinic cohort, respectively. These trends were also represented in the cost of follow-up per patient from the health care payer perspective, as well as the overall procedure costs per patient from both societal and health care payer perspectives, according to the researchers.
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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