Table 3.
Cost avoided
| (1) | Cost Avoided per Calla (2) | Cost Avoided (1)*(2) (Mean Cost Avoided per Call)b |
|---|---|---|
| Time 1: Office HoursT(n = 169) |
$17,924.88 ($106.06) |
|
| Office hours: advice (n = 80) | 205.17 | 16,413.60 |
| Office hours: referral to clinic (n = 12) | 125.94 | 1511.28 |
| Office hours: ED (n = 77) | 0 | 0.00 |
| Time 1: After-Office Hours (n = 305)> |
24,299.34 (79.67) |
|
| After-Office hours: advice (n = 108) | 205.17 | 22,158.36 |
| After-Office hours: referral to clinic (n = 17) | 125.94 | 2140.98 |
| After-Office hours: ED (n = 180) | 0 | 0.00 |
| All calls in T1 (n = 474) |
42,224.22 (89.08) |
|
| Time 2: Office Hours (n = 610) |
41,644.25 (68.27) |
|
| Office hours: Advice Given (n = 385) | 127.43 | 49,060.55 |
| Office hours: Refer0ral 0to clinic (n = 80) | 48.2 | 3856.00 |
| Office hours: ED referral (n = 145) | −77.74 | −11,272.30 |
| Time 2: After-Office Hours (n = 625) |
72,749.61 (116.40) |
|
| After-Office hours: advice (n = 311) | 205.17 | 63,807.87 |
| After-Office hours: referral to clinic (n = 71) | 125.94 | 8941.74 |
| After-Office hours: ED (n = 243) | 0 | 0.00 |
| All calls in T2 (n = 1235) |
114,393.86 (92.63) |
|
| All calls in T1 and T2 (n = 1709) |
$156,618.08 ($91.64) |
a See Additional file 1 for detailed computations of the costs avoided per call
b Mean Cost Avoided per Call = (Cost avoided)/n