Efficiency Archives - eConsult Workgroup

E-CONSULT WORKGROUP RESOURCES IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19

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…

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…

Specialists’ use of virtual communications to deliver care instead of in-person recommendations increased during the pandemic.

Pediatric dermatology e-consults reduce needs for face-to-face visits and offer potential costs savings for payers and patients. Access the article here.

The study found high rates of appropriate e-consults across specialties, supporting that e-consults are efficient compared with in-person visits https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/full/10.7326/M19-3852

E-Consults provide a safe and effective means of triaging and providing recommendations for patients with vascular disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31611112/

In this opinion piece, Dr. Barnett argues that fewer visits caused by the pandemic is a much needed and welcome change in managing patients’ healthcare. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/11/after-pandemic-visiting-doctor-will-never-be-same-thats-fine/

E-consult implementation resulted in decreased in-person wait times despite an increase in overall consult volume. https://www.jaci-inpractice.org/article/S2213-2198(19)30496-9/abstract

Communication between primary doctors and specialists using e-consult reduces delays in specialty care and decreases costs. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/upshot/when-email-comes-to-the-doctors-office-wait-times-decrease.html

An e-consult simulation tool estimates lead time, queue length, and specialist workload in rheumatology. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8632444/figures#figures

Dermatology e-consult demonstrated high patient satisfaction, provider efficiency and acceptance. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1357633X18799805

E-consults eliminate unnecessary office visits and improve the efficiency of specialty referrals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0003489419882726

E-consults have the potential to unlock medical expertise for the underserved. https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.18.0122

The majority of e-consults demonstrate an improved care plan and are seen as educational for the primary care provider. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1357633X18784416

E-consults improved access to and timeliness of care for an underserved population, reduced overall specialty utilization, and streamlined specialty referrals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1357633X18774468