Primary care doctors, do you need to ask a specialist a simple question about your patient? Maybe you just want some quick advice on the treatment path to follow? Now you can.
We have partnered with Community eConsult Network (CeCN) to give our in-network commercial and Medicare Advantage primary care providers (PCPs) access to a national network of board-certified specialists through an electronic, asynchronous secure platform.
This so-called “eConsult” service connects PCPs and specialists through a web-based, HIPAA-compliant communications systems. CeCN, based in Middletown, Connecticut, has been offering eConsult since 2011. It’s now available in 12 states.
Through eConsult, a primary care doctor, nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant can send basic clinical questions about a patient and patient’s care to a specialist, complete with chart notes, photos and/or lab imaging results. The specialist will review and within two business days respond to the PCP with a diagnosis, treatment and management information.
Specialists could still recommend the PCP to order more tests or refer a patient to a specialist. But in many cases, eConsults give PCPs the recommendations needed to treat patients in a PCP setting for better coordination and efficiency. Please note, recommendations from the eConsult service do not supersede the opinion of the PCP in the treatment of the patient. The eConsult service is a resource for our PCPs.
PCPs can ask for a consult from a local specialty group or CeCN’s national specialty group.
Questions are transmitted securely through direct messaging, secure email, fax or remote access — whatever the PCP prefers.
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No provider cost, no patient cost
There’s no cost to our in-network PCPs to set up or use the service. To get started, please submit your contact information online or contact Agi Erickson, Director of Business & Partnership Development at CeCN, at agi@chc1.com or 860-347-6971 ext. 3741.
The eConsult service won’t cost your patient anything as well. Instead, it will help patients get the right care, avoid unnecessary tests or specialist visits, and possibly reduce their out-of-pocket medical costs.
