Supplementary materials: An economic and health outcome evaluation of telehealth in rural sepsis care: a comparative effectiveness study

These are peer-reviewed supplementary materials for the article 'Effects of cardiovascular single pill combinations compared with identical multi-pill therapies on healthcare cost and utilization in Germany' published in the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research.

• Supplemental Appendix 1: ICD-10 Codes

Aim: Sepsis is a top contributor to in-hospital mortality and, healthcare expenditures and telehealth have been shown to improve short-term sepsis care in rural hospitals. This study will evaluate the effect of provider-to-provider video telehealth in rural emergency departments (EDs) on healthcare costs and long term outcomes for sepsis patients. Materials & methods: We will use Medicare administrative claims to compare total healthcare expenditures, mortality, length-of-stay, readmissions, and category-specific costs between telehealth-subscribing and control hospitals. Results: The results of this work will demonstrate the extent to which telehealth use is associated with total healthcare expenditures for sepsis care. Conclusion: These findings will be important to inform future policy initiatives to improve sepsis care in rural EDs.