Evaluation of Telemedicine for Screening of Diabetic Retinopathy in the Veterans Health Administration – Corrected Proof
Objective: To explore the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine for the screening of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and identify changes within the demographics of a patient population after telemedicine implementation.Design: A retrospective medical chart review (cohort study) was conducted.Participants: A total of 900 type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients enrolled in a medical system with a telemedicine screening program for DR.Methods: The cost-effectiveness of the DR telemedicine program was determined by using a finite-horizon, discrete time, discounted Markov decision process model populated by parameters and testing frequency obtained from patient records. The model estimated the progression of DR and determined average quality-adjusted (Read more...)