Willingness to pay for a telemedicine-delivered healthy lifestyle programme
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-2020
Publication Title
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare
Department
Department of Computer Science
Additional Department
Geisel School of Medicine
Abstract
Introduction: Effective weight-management interventions require frequent interactions with specialised multidiscipli- nary teams of medical, nutritional and behavioural experts to enact behavioural change. However, barriers that exist in rural areas, such as transportation and a lack of specialised services, can prevent patients from receiving quality care.
Methods: We recruited patients from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Weight & Wellness Center into a single-arm, non- randomised study of a remotely delivered 16-week evidence-based healthy lifestyle programme. Every 4 weeks, partic- ipants completed surveys that included their willingness to pay for services like those experienced in the intervention. A two-item Willingness-to-Pay survey was administered to participants asking about their willingness to trade their face- to-face visits for videoconference visits based on commute and copay.
Results: Overall, those with a travel duration of 31–45 min had a greater willingness to trade in-person visits for telehealth than any other group. Participants who had a travel duration less than 15 min, 16–30 min and 46–60 min experienced a positive trend in willingness to have telehealth visits until Week 8, where there was a general negative trend in willingness to trade in-person visits for virtual. Participants believed that telemedicine was useful and helpful.
Conclusions: In rural areas where patients travel 30–45 min a telemedicine-delivered, intensive weight-loss interven- tion may be a well-received and cost-effective way for both patients and the clinical care team to connect.
DOI
10.1177/1357633X20943337
Original Citation
Vanessa K. Rauch, Meredith Roderka, Auden C. McClure, Aaron B. Weintraub, Kevin Curtis, David F. Kotz, Richard I. Rothstein, and John A. Batsis. Willingness to pay for a telemedicine-delivered healthy lifestyle programme. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. Sage, June 2020. doi:10.1177/1357633X20943337. PMID: 32781892.
Dartmouth Digital Commons Citation
Rauch, Vanessa K.; Roderka, Meredith; McClure, Auden C.; Weintraub, Aaron B.; Curtis, Kevin; Kotz, David; Rothstein, Richard I.; and Batsis, John, "Willingness to pay for a telemedicine-delivered healthy lifestyle programme" (2020). Dartmouth Scholarship. 4047.
https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/facoa/4047
