Electronic consultations improve access to referrals for cardiac care for underserved populations, according to a study organized and conducted by the Middletown-based Community Health Center’s Weitzman Institute and published this month in the Annals of Family Medicine.
The study — led by authors Drs. J. Nwando Olayiwola and Daren Anderson, director of the Weitzman Institute — involved a random, controlled trial of 36 primary care physicians at CHC who referred 590 patients to cardiologists. For two-thirds of patients referred for an eConsult, an appropriate treatment plan was developed and implemented without the need for a face-to-face visit with a cardiologist, CHC said in a news release.
Additionally, eConsults were completed more quickly than those sent for face-to-face consultations — less than two days in most cases compared to 24 days for face-to-face — even for urgent referrals. The eConsults also appeared to reduce emergency room use and streamlined specialty referrals with no increase in adverse cardiovascular outcomes, according to the study.“
Obtaining appointments for these referrals is challenging because of the paucity of specialists willing to see them,” the authors said, and wait times for appointments can be as long as a year, they added. “The results show that a substantial number of consultations can be safely and more efficiently managed through secure electronic exchange of information without compromising the quality of care and with improved convenience for the patient.”
A follow-up study is being conducted to examine the financial implications of electronic consultations.
