Posts by Ciara
March 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:…
Read MoreCentral Valley Health Network February 2021 Meeting
The Central Valley Health Network’s February 2021 meeting featured a presentation on the Central Valley e-Consult Coalition work to support clinics and health systems in the region by providing no-cost access to electronic consult (e-consult) in order to improve Medi-Cal patient access to specialty care and enhance care coordination between primary providers and specialists. View…
Read MoreFebruary 2021 Central Valley E-Consult Roundtable
The Central Valley E-Consult Coalition holds monthly coalition roundtables to share program announcements and allow participants to share updates on eConsult implementation efforts. February’s Agenda Included: E-Consult Rollout Updates Updates on the CVeC Dashboard A short discussion about E-Consult Use at Camarena Health A presentation regarding how to effectively ask questions and provide responses with…
Read MoreScaling E-Consult Success
An observational cohort study published in the American Journal of Managed care examined administrative data of all veterans who received an e-consult across 41 specialties and 1269 VHA medical centers and clinical sites from 2012 to 2018. The authors found that the number of e-Consults increased by 309% for all specialties by 2018. It was found that…
Read MoreMajor Cost Savings Associated with VHA E-Consults
A study across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) shows that e-consults improve access to specialty care, shorten wait times, and reduce outpatient visits. Across 11 specialties, patients receiving an e-consult had significantly lower health care costs compared with patients receiving a face-to-face consultation. This was largely driven by differences in outpatient costs. Patients receiving an e-consult had…
Read MoreFebruary 2021 E-Consult Workgroup Webinar
The February 2021 e-Consult Workgroup meeting hosted guest speaker, California State Senator Caballero. Senator Caballero spoke and answered questions about SB 365, an e-Consult bill she is sponsoring. Later on in the meeting, featured speakers Michelle Lee and Vinod Nambudiri, MD of Partners Healthcare, MA, presented their recently published article, Electronic Consultations for Safe and Equitable…
Read MoreCentral Valley E-Consult Roundtable December 2020
The Central Valley E-Consult Coalition holds coalition roundtables each month. The December roundtable featured updates from our coalition participants on eConsult implementation, a discussion of goals for provider engagement and a presentation from eConsult Workgroup Clinical Advisor Delphine Tuot focused on provider engagement and workflow process improvement. View our December roundtable meeting summary.
Read MoreJanuary 2021 Central Valley eConsult Roundtable
The Central Valley E-Consult Coalition holds monthly coalition roundtables to share program announcements and allow participants to share updates on eConsult implementation efforts. The January roundtable also featured a presentation on “E-Consult, Equity, and Patient Engagement” from Denise D. Payán, PhD, MPP, Community Health & Innovative Policy Lab, UC Merced. View a recording of this…
Read MoreE-Consult: A Tool to Improve Patient Access and Outcomes for Racial Minorities and Underinsured
Researchers at Ohio State University performed a cross-sectional evaluation on all ambulatory dermatology referrals and eConsults over a 25-month period. The study reports that eConsults served more nonwhite patients and Medicaid enrollees compared to ambulatory referrals. Additionally, ambulatory referral patients were significantly less likely to attend their scheduled appointments compared with eConsult patients. Based on these results, the study…
Read MoreE-Consult: Safe and Equitable Coordination of Specialty Care
Michelle Lee, MD, and Vinod Nambudiri, MD of Partners Healthcare, MA, recently published, Electronic Consultations for Safe and Equitable Coordination of Virtual Outpatient Specialty Care. This article, published in the Journal of Applied Clinical Informatics, argues that eConsults can improve the transition of care between primary care and specialists. The authors cite previous clinical studies to highlight how eConsults can improve the relationship and communication between PCPs and specialists and improve PCP education, patient access…
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