Table 2.

Details of the three examined models of care.

Characteristic	Telehealth clinic	Patient travel	Virtual health practitioner
Involved hospitals	Mount Isa Hospital (small remote hospital) and Princess Alexandra Hospital (tertiary metropolitan hospital)	Townsville Hospital (large regional hospital)	Mount Isa Hospital (small remote hospital)
Service model description	A videoconference is held between the patient at Mount Isa Hospital and a specialist at Princess Alexandra Hospital. The specialist is employed by Princess Alexandra Hospital.	Patients travel from their home to receive in-person care at Townsville Hospital, which is the nearest hospital that provides orthopedic services.	Mount Isa Hospital directly employs a specialist to conduct videoconference consultations with patients located at Mount Isa Hospital. The specialist is located in a different geographical location from Mount Isa.
Cost allocation	Mount Isa Hospital pays for local staff (eg, nurse, resident medical officer) and also pays Princess Alexandra Hospital for the specialist and administration staff time. Princess Alexandra Hospital pays for the clinical assistant for the specialist and for the remaining administration time.	Townsville Hospital pays for local staff as normal. Mount Isa Hospital pays to subsidize patient travel for individuals who claim from the Queensland Health Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme.	Mount Isa Hospital pays for all costs.
Income	Princess Alexandra Hospital claims activity-based funding reimbursement as the telehealth provider. Mount Isa Hospital claims activity-based funding reimbursement as the telehealth recipient.	Townsville Hospital claims activity-based funding reimbursement for the appointment as the consultation provider.	Mount Isa Hospital claims activity-based funding reimbursement for the appointment as the telehealth provider.