title: Electronic consultations between primary and specialty care clinicians: early insights.
abstract: Electronic consultation (e-consultation) is an emerging tool that primary care clinicians can use to communicate with specialists about patients asynchronously--that is, at different times that are convenient for each physician. To conduct an e-consultation, clinicians use either a Web-based program or a shared electronic medical record. Early adopters of e-consultation describe positive experiences for patients, clinicians, and health systems, including improved continuity of care, access to specialists, convenience, and information transfer. E-consultation presents opportunities to improve health care quality and reduce specialty care costs, but dissemination will be limited unless incentives are created and clinicians are encouraged to use e-consultation through financial reimbursement.
authors: MacColl Institute for Healthcare Innovation, Group Health Research Institute, USA. kathryn.horner@gmail.com
authors: Kathryn
authors: K
authors: Horner
authors: Ed
authors: E
authors: Wagner
authors: Jim
authors: J
authors: Tufano
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D017046:Cost Savings; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008511:Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012052:Reimbursement, Incentive; D013685:Telecommunications / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017216:Telemedicine / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States