Economic Evaluation of Artificially Intelligent (AI) Diagnostic Systems: Cost Consequence Analysis of Clinician-Friendly Interpretable Computer-Aided Diagnosis (ICADX) Tested in Cardiology, Obstetrics, and Gastroenterology, from the HosmartAI Horizon 2020 Project

Objectives: This study evaluates the economic impact of digital health interventions (DHIs) developed under the HosmartAI EU-funded program, focusing on obstetrics, cardiology, and gastroenterology. Methods: A Cost Consequence Analysis (CCA) was chosen in order to be able to examine the costs and consequences of AI technologies in early diagnosis of preterm births, echocardiography, coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), and capsule endoscopy (CE). Results: The results show that in obstetrics and CCTA, the AI technologies are cost-saving, with the AI-based preterm birth detection leading to savings of 99,840 EUR due to reduced severity of prematurity. In the echocardiography scenario, the new AI technology slightly increased costs (9409 vs. 2116 EUR), but offered benefits in diagnostic accuracy and shorter interpretation duration, particularly for less experienced physicians. Similarly, the capsule endoscopy AI technology raised annual costs by 6626 EUR but improved productivity, accuracy, and user satisfaction. Conclusions: The findings emphasize the need for standardized frameworks to guide economic evaluations of DHIs, ensuring informed healthcare investment and reimbursement decisions in the future.