The cost-effectiveness of telestroke in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA:

IntroductionUsing real-world data from the Providence Oregon Telestroke Network, we examined the cost-effectiveness of telestroke from both the spoke and hub perspectives by level of financial responsibility for these costs and by patient stroke severity.MethodsWe constructed a decision analytic model using patient-level clinical and financial data from before and after telestroke implementation. Effectiveness was measured as quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and was combined with cost per patient outcomes to calculate incremental cost effectiveness ratios (ICERs). Outcomes were generated (a) overall; (b) by stroke severity, via the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at time of arrival, defined as low ( 15); and (c) by percentage of implementation costs paid by spokes (0%, 50%, 100%).ResultsData for 864 patients, 98 pre- and 766 post-implementation, were used to parameterize our model. From the spoke perspective, telestroke had ICERs of US$1322/QALY, US$25,991...