June 2021 E-Consult Workgroup Webinar
The June E-Consult Workgroup webinar featured examples of state-level support for e-consult programs. Speakers include: Michele Canales, Office of Senator Anna Caballero, CA District 12 Mark Queirolo, Health Programs Office, State of Colorado Lisa Dulsky Watkins, MD, Director, Multipayer Primary Care Network, Milbank
Read MoreMay 2021 E-Consult Workgroup Meeting
For Mental Health Month, May’s webinar featured Lucinda Leung, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, UCLA, speaking to eConsult Mental Health: Electronic Referral and Consultation to Integrate Primary Care and Mental Health, and Ed Cladera, MD, AristaMD, speaking to effective mental health e-consult cases. View the webinar here:
Read MoreE-Consult Shown to Improve Access to Respirologists
A manuscript published in the International Journal of Quality Health Care titled, “Improving Primary Care Access to Respirologists Using eConsult” describes the findings from a retrospective review of 26,679 respirology eConsults. The publication details the most common topics and the most common types of questions asked by PCPs. The analysis found that in 23% of…
Read MoreStudy Finds E-Consult an Effective tool for Pain Management
The recent retrospective cohort study, “Clinical Effectiveness of an Outpatient Multidisciplinary Chronic Pain Management Telementoring Service,” published in the Clinical Journal of Pain, demonstrates the effectiveness of e-consult in reducing opioid use. The pain e-consult program (PEP) used in the study is a multidisciplinary telementoring service based on the ECHO model. The findings indicate that…
Read MoreE-Consult Associated with Increased Access to Safety Net Specialty Care
A recent study published in JAMA Health Forum analyzes 50,260 referral requests submitted during the year before and the year after e-consult implementation at 19 H+H specialty clinics in New York City. Researchers found that following e-consult implementation, 13% of referral requests were resolved electronically. Additionally, the percent of successfully scheduled in-person appointments increased 15.8%…
Read MoreAddiction Medicine and Smartphone-Based E-Consult During the COVID-19 Lockdown
A recent study illustrated how the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) Digital Academy, Bangalore, with the collaboration of Project ECHO worked throughout the pandemic to develop capacity for substance abuse disorder (SUD) management through telehealth, training over six thousand five hundred health care providers. The Centre of Addiction Medicine, NIMHANS initiated an…
Read MoreApril 2021 E-Consult Workgroup Webinar
The April E-Consult Workgroup Webinar featured Joseph Simonetti, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Clinical Investigator, Colorado School of Public Health presenting the recent publication, Cost Savings Associated with Electronic Specialty Consultations, based on a study of the Veterans Health Administration e-consult program. In addition, Scott Brunner, MD, Monarch Healthcare, shared examples of e-consult cost effectiveness. You can view…
Read MoreMay 2021 Central Valley E-Consult Coalition Meeting
The E-Consult Workgroup is a gathering of provider organizations, payers, and patient advocate organizations from across the country who share program successes, best practices and published research supporting the expansion and sustainability of e-consult. This month’s Roundtable featured a presentation by Dr. Karen Rubin, Chief Clinical Transformation Officer, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, and Endocrinologist, speaking…
Read MoreApril 2021 Central Valley E-Consult Coalition Meeting
The E-Consult Workgroup is a gathering of provider organizations, payers, and patient advocate organizations from across the country who share program successes, best practices and published research supporting the expansion and sustainability of e-consult. This month’s workgroup featured Joseph Simonetti, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Clinical Investigator, Colorado School of Public Health presenting the recent publication, Cost…
Read MoreMarch 2021 Central Valley E-Consult Coalition Meeting
The Central Valley E-Consult Coalition holds monthly coalition roundtables to share program announcements and allow participants to share updates on eConsult implementation efforts. This month’s Roundtable featured program snapshots by Clinica Sierra Vista, and United Health Centers.
Read MoreMarch 2021 E-Consult Workgroup Webinar: E-Consult for Older Adults
March’s E-Consult Workgroup kicked off with an introduction by Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President of the John A. Hartford Foundation presenting on her recent Health Affairs article. Michael Kurliand, MS, BSN, RN-BC, Director of Telehealth and Process Improvement, West Health, presented on the use of e-consult to serve PACE program members. In addition, Valerie Dixon, Chief Compliance…
Read MoreImpact of Pediatric Electronic Consultations in a Federally Qualified Health Center
In this study of patients referred to pediatric cardiology, endocrinology or pulmonology at a federally qualified health center, the use of e-consults combined with evidence-based referral guidelines provided a useful tool to help front line pediatric primary care providers manage complex problems and identify those not needing to see a specialist in person. As a result, twenty-three…
Read MoreEvaluation of the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Electronic Consultation Use in Primary Care
The use of e-consult has emerged as a useful tool for primary care providers (PCPs) to quickly obtain non-urgent, patient-specific, expert advice from specialists. The COVID-19 pandemic forced health systems to rapidly implement and scale telehealth alternatives to in-person care to prevent exposure to the contagious respiratory virus. A recent study from Massachusetts General Hospital…
Read MoreCHCF Publication on Post-Pandemic Federally Qualified Health Center Telehealth Reimbursement
California Health Care Foundation recently released a piece titled “Reimbursing FQHCs for Telehealth Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: Medi-Cal’s Options”. The publication addresses needs to continue to support the much-needed telehealth services that have been spearheaded by FQHCs in response to COVID-19. Rafael A. Gomez, Pacific Health Consulting Group, mapped out recommendations including: Exploring prospective payment system (PPS)…
Read MoreActualizing Better Health and Health Care for Older Adults: Health Affairs March Issue
In a focus on “age-friendly health”, Terry Fulmer et al note that our health care system is unprepared to care for its growing population of older adults, and that new approaches must be considered, including telehealth modalities offering education, such as e-consult. Dr. Fulmer joined us for our March 2021 E-Consult workgroup webinar. Recommendations Include:…
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