A concept related to the increase in efficiency of production as the number of goods being produced increases. Typically, a company that achieves economies of scale lowers the average cost per unit through increased production since fixed costs are shared over an increased number of goods.
Published in Chapter:
Telehealth-Based Systems for Diagnosis, Management, and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Challenges, Opportunities, and Applications
Fiorentina Angjellari-Dajci (Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), USA), William F. Lawless (Paine College, USA), Nitin Agarwal (University of Arkansas at Little Rock, USA), Ron Oberleitner (Behavior Imaging Solutions, USA), Barbara Coleman (Augusta State University, USA), and Masoud Kavoossi (Howard University, USA)
Copyright: © 2013
|Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-3990-4.ch055
Abstract
The prevailing system for diagnosis, treatment, and management of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in the US—the in-person service delivery—has been unable to address the increase in the demand for services and societal costs for those served, and the unattained societal benefits for those not diagnosed early enough or not offered early and intensive behavioral interventions. The authors discuss new developments in telehealth for diagnostic evaluation and ASD treatment in the US. They build a theoretical model to capture telehealth system’s potential in reaching ASD screening market equilibrium under the constraint of full utilization of provider hours and other stylized facts. The authors estimate the market demand for ASD screening in the US for year 2011. They present their progress with a case study that focuses on the potential impacts of increased access to care of technology-based telehealth on the Georgia-South Carolina border. The authors use social network analysis to envision the future of telehealth service delivery for ASDs.