What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the impact of electronic consultations (eConsults) across multiple specialties on access to specialty care and wait times for uninsured patients.

May 1, 2022Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved

The Impact of eConsults on Access to Specialty Care for the Uninsured in Rural Texas

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Authors

DADaren AndersonWesleyan University APAnthony F. PortoYale University TATracy AngelocciCircle of Care

Discussion

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Implication

Implementation study demonstrates that eConsults improve specialty care access and reduce referral wait times in uninsured patients, indicating a viable method to reduce healthcare inequalities.

Key Points

To evaluate the impact of electronic consultations (eConsults) across multiple specialties on access to specialty care and wait times for uninsured patients.
Implemented an eConsult workflow across four specialties (cardiology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, and endocrinology) in a large, multi-site federally qualified health center in Central Texas.
Collected and analyzed specialty care access and referral utilization data for one year before and one year after the implementation.
Specialty care completion rates for referred uninsured patients increased from 23% before implementation to 62% after implementation (via either an eConsult or face-to-face visit).
Median referral wait times improved from 54 days pre-implementation to 7 days post-implementation.

Cite This Study

Anderson et al. (2022) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7f667af4a2ca5f602ffe10 https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2022.0063

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Implication

Implementation study demonstrates that eConsults improve specialty care access and reduce referral wait times in uninsured patients, indicating a viable method to reduce healthcare inequalities.

The Impact of eConsults on Access to Specialty Care for the Uninsured in Rural Texas

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

The Impact of eConsults on Access to Specialty Care for the Uninsured in Rural Texas

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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