A study published in Health Affairs found primary care providers utilizing the eConsult system for referral requests reduced specialty wait times.
Here are five things to know:
1. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services began utilizing the eConsult system for specialty care in 2012. By 2015, over 3,000 primary care providers used the system, offering more than 12,000 consultations per month.
2. Researchers found the median time to a specialist's electronic response was one day. Additionally, 25 percent of eConsults were resolved without a specialist visit. Median time to appointment decreased without increases in specialty staffing, implying the eConsult system decreased patient backlog while waiting for appointments.
3. Median time to an appointment for an eConsult request resulting in a specialist visit decreased by 17.4 percent and appointments scheduled within 30 days increased by 6.2 percent. Researchers also found a roughly 4 percent decrease in the rate of eConsult requests resolved without a visit.
4. eConsults allow physicians to have live interactions with specialists and ultimately yield better results. The interactions facilitate primary care provider education, leading to increased cases resolved without a visit.
5. Hospitals and primary care practices were more likely to make referrals precluding specialty appointments than multispecialty practices.
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