The financial benefits of telehealth for patients and family caregivers are promoted in a report issued Friday on the use of the technology in federal health programs by the General Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

The study noted officials from a patient association told the GAO that remote patient monitoring via telehealth can help patients and their caregivers save on transportation costs and help them avoid taking time off from work.

At the same time, the executives said more savings from telehealth for patients and their families can come from decreased hospital readmissions and use of intensive care units.

Reduced expensive emergency room visits are possible from telehealth because the technology allows a health-care provider to identify subtle changes in a patient’s condition and schedule an office visit before the condition worsens.

GAO noted telehealth is being used in Medicare, Medicaid, Defense Department and Veterans Administration health programs.