The network is able to keep treatment costs low, but quality of care high, by implementing cost saving methods such as accepting donation, relying on digital X-rays rather than more expensive films, reducing inventory and processing times using comprehensive hospital management software, and increasing the volumes of patients served to maximize use of infrastructure (NH performs about eight times more surgeries per day than India's average). NH ensures that the high patient volume does not compromise quality of care. Rather, quality is improved as doctors are given the opportunity to specialize in specific types of cardiac surgery.
To address the 70% of the population living in rural areas, the hospital's founder, Dr Shetty, in association with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has built a network of 39 telemedicine centers to reach out to patients in remote rural areas. The telemedicine services provided by the hospital are free and more than 21000 cases have been referred using this service.
The hospital enjoys a high success rate - an average 1.4% mortality rate within 30 days of coronary artery bypass graft surgery, compared to 1.9% in the U.S. Furthermore, NH maintains its costs low, savings that are then transferred to the patient. NH's cost of open heart surgery is USD $2,000. The hospital charges $2,400 to the patient, compared to $5,500 charged at an average private hospital in India. Approximately a third of the patients do not pay out of pocket.
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