How e-health reduces days spent for treatment of patients with lifestyle-related diseases

摘要

This paper aims to conduct the empirical analysis of reasons why e-Health effects on treatment days of patients with lifestyle-related diseases. Statistical analysis practiced based on panel data of medical expenditures of about 400 individuals from 2002 to 2006 in Nishi-aizu Town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Nishi-aizu Town is one of the earliest cases in Japan to introduce e-Health successfully. Focus is placed on the patients who have lifestyle-related diseases, since their condition is likely to be stable. Data of outpatient days is used to analyze the effect of e-Health. Our estimation results show that e-Health usage can reduce days of outpatient. The conclusion of this paper is that outpatient days are reduces by 2.0, 8.1 days per year for treatment, respectively.