Studies show that virtual stroke care or Telestroke may help providing treatment and recovery for stroke sufferers who are admitted to rural hospitals.
An analysis of previous studies suggested that health care units and hospitals at remote areas may use telestroke technology to communicate and consult with stroke experts and provide better, cost benefit treatment and rehabilitation service to stroke patients.
"In an era of spiraling health care costs, our findings give critical information to medical policy makers," said Dr. Jennifer J. Majersik of the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.
"If barriers to using telestroke, such as low reimbursement rates and high equipment costs, are improved, telestroke has the potential to greatly diminish the striking disparity in stroke care for rural America," she added.
After analyzing data from previous telestroke studies and hospital databases, scientists determined the costs accrued by stroke victims treated virtually as well as the number of years added to their lives and their quality of life during those years (quality-adjusted life years).
University of Utah researchers found that the cost of telestroke over a patient's lifetime in the US was 2,449 dollars per quality-adjusted life year which was much lower than the standard 50,000 dollars usually spent per year for providing such a service in the same medical facility.
"In a usual care setting, these stroke mimic patients are often transferred to a tertiary care center due to uncertainty of diagnosis, but telestroke consultation could allow stroke specialists to assist rural providers in diagnosis, treatment, and transfer decision, potentially lowering costs by avoiding unnecessary transfers,"says the report published in the journal Neurology.
The study also showed that telestroke could improve the rural use of tPA, a clot-busting drug that can reduce death and disability from stroke if taken within roughly three to four hours of stroke onset.
"Only 2 to 4 percent of stroke patients receive this treatment, with the lowest percentage in rural areas largely because there aren't enough stroke experts with experience using tPA," Majersik added.
"Telestroke has the potential to lower this barrier by providing long-distance consultation to rural areas, increasing the expertise and quality of stroke care at rural hospitals," she concluded.
"In an era of spiraling health care costs, our findings give critical information to medical policy makers," said Dr. Jennifer J. Majersik of the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City.
"If barriers to using telestroke, such as low reimbursement rates and high equipment costs, are improved, telestroke has the potential to greatly diminish the striking disparity in stroke care for rural America," she added.
After analyzing data from previous telestroke studies and hospital databases, scientists determined the costs accrued by stroke victims treated virtually as well as the number of years added to their lives and their quality of life during those years (quality-adjusted life years).
University of Utah researchers found that the cost of telestroke over a patient's lifetime in the US was 2,449 dollars per quality-adjusted life year which was much lower than the standard 50,000 dollars usually spent per year for providing such a service in the same medical facility.
"In a usual care setting, these stroke mimic patients are often transferred to a tertiary care center due to uncertainty of diagnosis, but telestroke consultation could allow stroke specialists to assist rural providers in diagnosis, treatment, and transfer decision, potentially lowering costs by avoiding unnecessary transfers,"says the report published in the journal Neurology.
The study also showed that telestroke could improve the rural use of tPA, a clot-busting drug that can reduce death and disability from stroke if taken within roughly three to four hours of stroke onset.
"Only 2 to 4 percent of stroke patients receive this treatment, with the lowest percentage in rural areas largely because there aren't enough stroke experts with experience using tPA," Majersik added.
"Telestroke has the potential to lower this barrier by providing long-distance consultation to rural areas, increasing the expertise and quality of stroke care at rural hospitals," she concluded.
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