NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health system in the U.S. It started the eConsult pilot in 2016 and has scaled up the program. About 51,000 referrals were made through the tool since the pilot began. The eConsult platform is designed to streamline the referral process and facilitate more direct communication between specialty and primary care providers (PCP). If a patient visits his or her PCP with a condition that may need a specialist’s input, the primary care team sends a message to the specialist through eConsult and receive details on next steps and how to quickly set up the referral. In some cases, the specialist will offer guidance for treatment by the PCP, including suggesting tests and screenings or suggesting prescriptions. If a visit to the specialty care provider is needed, the response ;will set up that visit. Median wait times for specialty care decreased from 50 days to 28 days. For patients who needed a visit urgently, median wait times decreased from 30 days to 16 days in that same window.
NBHC Care Experience