The cost-effectiveness of teleradiology at the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide

Abstract

The cost-effectiveness of teleradiology was examined in a trial conducted at the Women's and Children's Hospital (WCH) in Adelaide, from February 1998 to February 1999. The trial showed that, with the large distances between remote hospitals and metropolitan hospitals, teleradiology, relative to the transfer of remote patients, could be highly cost-effective, but that a new form of cost justification is required for teleradiology for tertiary hospitals providing second opinions in special cases. A series of compelling case studies proved the economic and social value of teleradiology at the WCH.