Along with being much more convenient for both the patient and clinical staff, virtual preoperative education has been proven to deliver equivalent outcomes. In one case study examining virtual vs. in-person preoperative education for total joint replacement patients, there was no statistically significant difference in either patient satisfaction or functional outcomes, as evaluated by standard patient-reported outcomes measures (Knee and Hip Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Knee and Hip Replacement). By switching from in-person to virtual preoperative education, the hospital saved 7.5 FTE hours per week, which translated into cost savings of more than $18,000 annually.

The collection of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) forms—which routinely requires hours of manual work from administrative staff—can also be completed remotely. Patients are typically assigned six forms at each of three intervals during an episode of care, at a cost of approximately $10 per form. By collecting PROs via a care management platform, healthcare organizations can drive up their compliance rates while decreasing the time spent on collection. For each episode of care, care management platforms can save $180 per patient in remote PROs collection while offering a high completion rate of 85% or more.


Controlling costs by reducing readmissions and complications
For providers, digital care management platforms are a key element of a postoperative strategy that helps patients avoid extraneous inpatient days (average cost of $1,790 per patient per day), readmissions and postoperative ER visits (approximately 7% of patients incur an average cost of $1,400 per ER visit), and even discharge to skilled nursing facilities. While virtual care management is not the only factor at play in avoiding these outcomes, it is a necessary component of driving postoperative cost savings.

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