Hai V Nguyen1, Gavin Siew Wei Tan2, Robyn Jennifer Tapp3, Shweta Mital4, Daniel Shu Wei Ting2, Hon Tym Wong5, Colin S Tan5, Augustinus Laude6, E Shyong Tai7, Ngiap Chuan Tan8, Eric A Finkelstein4, Tien Yin Wong9, Ecosse L Lamoureux10. 1. School of Pharmacy, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada. 2. Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore. 3. Department of Optometry and Vision Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom. 4. Health Services and Systems Research, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore. 5. Department of Ophthalmology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. 6. National Healthcare Group Eye Institute, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore. 7. Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore. 8. Department of Research, SingHealth Polyclinics, Singapore. 9. Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Academic Medicine Research Institute, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore. 10. Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; Academic Medicine Research Institute, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore. Electronic address: ecosse@unimelb.edu.au.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of a new telemedicine technician-based assessment relative to an existing model of family physician (FP)-based assessment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Singapore from the health system and societal perspectives. DESIGN: Model-based, cost-effectiveness analysis of the Singapore Integrated Diabetic Retinopathy Program (SiDRP). PARTICIPANTS: A hypothetical cohort of patients aged 55 years with type 2 diabetes previously not screened for DR. METHODS: The SiDRP is a new telemedicine-based DR screening program using trained technicians to assess retinal photographs. We compared the cost-effectiveness of SiDRP with the existing model in which FPs assess photographs. We developed a hybrid decision tree/Markov model to simulate the costs, effectiveness, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of SiDRP relative to FP-based DR screening over a lifetime horizon. We estimated the costs from the health system and societal perspectives. Effectiveness was measured in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Result robustness was calculated using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The ICER. RESULTS: From the societal perspective that takes into account all costs and effects, the telemedicine-based DR screening model had significantly lower costs (total cost savings of S$173 per person) while generating similar QALYs compared with the physician-based model (i.e., 13.1 QALYs). From the health system perspective that includes only direct medical costs, the cost savings are S$144 per person. By extrapolating these data to approximately 170 000 patients with diabetes currently being screened yearly for DR in Singapore's primary care polyclinics, the present value of future cost savings associated with the telemedicine-based model is estimated to be S$29.4 million over a lifetime horizon. CONCLUSIONS: While generating similar health outcomes, the telemedicine-based DR screening using technicians in the primary care setting saves costs for Singapore compared with the FP model. Our data provide a strong economic rationale to expand the telemedicine-based DR screening program in Singapore and elsewhere.
PURPOSE: To determine the incremental cost-effectiveness of a new telemedicine technician-based assessment relative to an existing model of family physician (FP)-based assessment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Singapore from the health system and societal perspectives. DESIGN: Model-based, cost-effectiveness analysis of the Singapore Integrated Diabetic Retinopathy Program (SiDRP). PARTICIPANTS: A hypothetical cohort of patients aged 55 years with type 2 diabetes previously not screened for DR. METHODS: The SiDRP is a new telemedicine-based DR screening program using trained technicians to assess retinal photographs. We compared the cost-effectiveness of SiDRP with the existing model in which FPs assess photographs. We developed a hybrid decision tree/Markov model to simulate the costs, effectiveness, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of SiDRP relative to FP-based DR screening over a lifetime horizon. We estimated the costs from the health system and societal perspectives. Effectiveness was measured in terms of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Result robustness was calculated using deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The ICER. RESULTS: From the societal perspective that takes into account all costs and effects, the telemedicine-based DR screening model had significantly lower costs (total cost savings of S$173 per person) while generating similar QALYs compared with the physician-based model (i.e., 13.1 QALYs). From the health system perspective that includes only direct medical costs, the cost savings are S$144 per person. By extrapolating these data to approximately 170 000 patients with diabetes currently being screened yearly for DR in Singapore's primary care polyclinics, the present value of future cost savings associated with the telemedicine-based model is estimated to be S$29.4 million over a lifetime horizon. CONCLUSIONS: While generating similar health outcomes, the telemedicine-based DR screening using technicians in the primary care setting saves costs for Singapore compared with the FP model. Our data provide a strong economic rationale to expand the telemedicine-based DR screening program in Singapore and elsewhere.
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