Table 2.
Estimated Direct Healthcare Cost Savings Associated with Fewer Emergency Department Visits and Fewer Missed Appointments
| Telemedicine usage scenario (CAD, million, per year) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 per cent | 10 per cent | 25 per cent | 50 per cent | |
| Panel A. Fewer emergency department visits | ||||
| Canada | 8.94 | 17.88 | 44.71 | 89.42 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 0.33 | 0.66 | 1.65 | 3.29 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0.07 | 0.14 | 0.34 | 0.69 |
| Nova Scotia | 0.40 | 0.79 | 1.99 | 3.97 |
| New Brunswick | 0.43 | 0.86 | 2.16 | 4.32 |
| Quebec | 1.35 | 2.70 | 6.74 | 13.49 |
| Ontario | 3.83 | 7.67 | 19.17 | 38.34 |
| Manitoba | 0.33 | 0.66 | 1.65 | 3.29 |
| Saskatchewan | 0.31 | 0.62 | 1.55 | 3.10 |
| Alberta | 0.78 | 1.55 | 3.88 | 7.76 |
| British Columbia | 1.08 | 2.17 | 5.41 | 10.83 |
| Territories | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.17 | 0.34 |
| Panel B. Fewer missed appointments | ||||
| Canada | 5.80 | 11.59 | 28.99 | 57.97 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 0.08 | 0.16 | 0.41 | 0.82 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.13 |
| Nova Scotia | 0.09 | 0.19 | 0.47 | 0.95 |
| New Brunswick | 0.10 | 0.21 | 0.52 | 1.04 |
| Quebec | 1.32 | 2.64 | 6.61 | 13.21 |
| Ontario | 1.88 | 3.76 | 9.41 | 18.82 |
| Manitoba | 0.23 | 0.46 | 1.14 | 2.28 |
| Saskatchewan | 0.15 | 0.30 | 0.76 | 1.51 |
| Alberta | 1.07 | 2.14 | 5.35 | 10.69 |
| British Columbia | 0.84 | 1.67 | 4.18 | 8.37 |
| Territories | 0.01 | 0.03 | 0.07 | 0.15 |
Notes: Table reports monetised benefits of telemedicine across different usage scenarios (5 per cent; 10 per cent; 25 per cent; 50 per cent). Estimated are potential direct healthcare cost savings associated with a reduction of emergency department visits and fewer missed appointments if a remote consultation could have been offered to help the patient. While 4 per cent of all primary care consultations were held remotely before the pandemic, there is no information about the number of averted unnecessary emergency visits and missed appointments associated with this pre-pandemic baseline level of teleconsultations. Therefore, we calculate the additional healthcare costs saved on top of this unknown number of emergency visits or missed appointments that may have already been saved before the pandemic.