The Carbon Footprint of In-person Versus Virtual Orthopaedic Care.

Publication date: Jul 01, 2025

Climate change is a global health emergency, with substantial carbon emissions coming from health care. This study compares the carbon footprint of in-person versus virtual orthopaedic care at a large, urban, academic healthcare system. Data were abstracted from the billing and claims database for orthopaedic clinic visits from 2018 to 2023 at a large, urban, academic medical center and its suburban satellite clinics. Carbon footprint per in-person visit was determined by combining emissions from supplies, facility energy use, and patient travel. The reduction in emissions of virtual visits was calculated compared with if all visits occurred in person. Overall, 508,394 orthopaedic clinic visits (94. 3% in-person, 5. 7% virtual) were recorded. The average in-person visit resulted in 7. 12 vs. 0. 026 kg CO2e for the average virtual visit. Actual carbon emissions were estimated to be 3,411,206 kg CO2e compared with 3,714,565 kg if all visits occurred in person (8. 2% reduction). Most emissions (99. 8%) were attributed to patient travel, with 0. 2% coming from supplies and

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