(345) Economic and environmental impact of Maternal-Fetal Telemedicine (teleMFM)

Maternal-Fetal Telemedicine (teleMFM) has gained wider adoption in recent years with several studies validating the clinical benefits as an adjunct to in-person care. The aim of this study was to estimate the economic and environmental impact of an outpatient teleMFM program.

Study Design:

This retrospective cohort study examined all visits at 3 teleMFM clinics more than 90 miles away from the nearest in-person MFM office between 10/1/2021 and 6/1/2022. Travel distances and times were calculated for each appointment between the patient’s home, telemedicine clinic, and nearest in-person clinics, using zip code data and Google Maps web-based map calculator tools. Travel cost savings and environmental impact were calculated by determining differences in mileage reimbursement rate and emissions between those incurred in attending telemedicine appointments and those that would have been incurred if in-person using inflation-adjusted Internal Revenue Service annual standard mileage reimbursement rate ($0.58 per mile), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Transportation and Air Quality’s average annual emissions and fuel consumption for gasoline-fueled passenger vehicles.

Results:

Of the 2,712 scheduled appointments, 2,454 (90.5%) took place with 788 (32%) new and 1,666 (68%) follow up visits. The average distance from patient’s home to the in-person and teleMFM clinic sites were 117 and 15 miles, respectively. As presented in Table 1, teleMFM utilization resulted in 204 miles and 200 minutes of average savings per round-trip visit. In total, over 8 months, teleMFM utilization resulted in a $144,611 economic savings for the patients, along with total emission savings of 95 metric tons.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates the positive economic and environmental impact of teleMFM utilization in communities remote from in-person care. Given the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to climate change, such findings may provide strategies for our specialty make informed policy, advocacy, and business decisions.