An Economic Evaluation of the Expansion of Electronic Case Reporting in an Academic Healthcare Setting.

Objectives Determine the economic cost or benefit of expanding electronic case reporting (eCR) for 29 reportable conditions beyond the initial eCR implementation for COVID-19 at an academic health center.Materials and methods The return on investment (ROI) framework was used to quantify the economic impact of the expansion of eCR from the perspective of an academic health system over a 5-year time horizon. Sensitivity analyses were performed to assess key factors such as personnel cost, inflation, and number of expanded conditions.Results The total implementation costs for the implementation year were estimated to be $5031.46. The 5-year ROI for the expansion of eCR for the 29 conditions is expected to be 142% (net present value of savings: $7166). Based on the annual ROI, estimates suggest that the savings from the expansion of eCR will cover implementation costs in approximately 4.8 years. All sensitivity analyses yielded a strong ROI for the expansion of eCR.Discussion and conclusion Our findings suggest a strong ROI for the expansion of eCR at UHealth, with the most significant cost savings observed implementing eCR for all reportable conditions. An early effort to ensure data quality is recommended to expedite the transition from parallel reporting to production to improve the ROI for healthcare organizations. This study demonstrates a positive ROI for the expansion of eCR to additional reportable conditions beyond COVID-19 in an academic health setting, such as UHealth. While this evaluation focuses on the 5-year time horizon, the potential benefit could extend further. This study aimed to assess the economic impact of expanding electronic case reporting (eCR) for 29 reportable conditions beyond the initial eCR implementation for COVID-19 at an academic health center. The costs and benefits were calculated over a 5-year period using the return on investment (ROI) framework. The total implementation costs were estimated to be $5031.46, with the 5-year ROI for the eCR expansion estimated to be 142% (net present value of savings: $7166). The findings indicate a strong ROI for the expansion of eCR, with potential savings covering implementation costs in approximately 4.8 years. The study recommends early efforts to implement eCR for all reportable conditions while ensuring data quality could yield the most significant cost savings for the respective healthcare organizations.