An online clinic launched in 2010 by non-profit HMO HealthPartners for the diagnosis and treatment of 40 simple medical conditions showed an average savings of $88 per episode over care in a traditional setting, providing hope for the future of online medical care.

The service, called virtuwell, provides 24-hour online access for patients to nurse practitioners who can help diagnose and prescribe treatment – including writing prescriptions – of conditions such as sinus infections and urinary tract infection. Further, after studying the results from 40,000 cases of patients using the online care portal, 98 percent of patients said they would be willing to recommend the service to others.

The findings were released in the February issue of Health Affairs.

“Thoughtful, well-designed online care can save costs and increase access to care, but it must never be at the expense of safety, effectiveness or a great customer experience,” said Patrick Courneya, MD, lead author of the study, a family physician and HealthPartners health plan medical director, in a news release. “By reporting these findings, we hope to contribute to the further development of effective, accessible and affordable health care solutions that our nation so badly needs.”

According to the report, the analysis of virtuwell’s performance since it began operation two years ago is intended to begin to answer some fundamental questions about the delivery of healthcare using an online model. For instance, can care delivered online be delivered in a safe and secure environment and be compliant with existing regulations? And will patients both embrace this new method of delivering care while also being happy with the care they received?

If the two-year history of virtuwell is any indication, the answer is a qualified yes.

“The delivery of health care online is relatively new,” the report noted. “However, early indications suggest that it can improve the experience of care for patients and the health of populations, along with reducing per capita health care costs.”

[See also: Mayo Clinic extends telemedicine to Navajo Nation.]

That said, the authors were cautious about broadly applying their findings to other models of online care, but noted that the potential to provide significant cost savings is enticing.

Specifically, the study analyzed both medical and pharmacy data of thousands of virtuwell visits and compared them to care delivered in traditional healthcare settings. Costs measured were total insurer and customer payments for full episodes of illness including pharmacy costs. The analysis showed an average savings of $88.03 per episode in virtuwell-treated cases.

Treatment costs for three common conditions (sinus infection, urinary tract infection and pink eye) averaged: