Measuring Practice Success and Patient Care:
20% of eConsults Report a New Diagnosis
Eric Urquiza, Sr. Vice President of Operations & Client Experience at AristaMD
More than 20% of eConsults result in a New Diagnosis. This statistic and the others listed in this chart are reported by the requesting PCP. This is a game-changer for patient outcomes. A great example of a new diagnosis is depression in elderly patients. Depression symptoms in older patients are often like the symptoms of a Dementia patient.
Highlighting this metric is a powerful way to communicate the program’s value to providers reluctant to expand their use of eConsults.
In this case, dermatology is an area where a specialist’s advice has supported the PCP. Dermatology is also a specialty with notoriously long wait times.
Telemedicine Systems Empower PCPs to Manage Patient Outcomes & Control Costs
Telemedicine systems changed healthcare reimbursement models. The traditional fee-for-service approach, which pays providers for every visit, procedure, test, and appointment regardless of patient outcome, is unsustainable.The fee-for-service approach emphasizes quantity over quality, rewarding healthcare providers for delivering more services without connecting these services to outcomes. This approach prioritizes immediacy of care over long-term and preventative care. The net effect is to create gaps in care while increasing costs for patients, insurers, and government agencies.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), passed in 2010, contains many provisions meant to shift the quantity-based FFS system to a quality-focused outcomes-based system. These provisions focus on encouraging a change in the way healthcare is organized, delivered, and reimbursed.
eConsult virtual quality improvement technology enables PCPs to work remotely with a network of highly qualified telehealth specialists. An eConsult empowers PCPs to coordinate care more fully, ultimately leading to better outcomes and lower costs.
Moving to Outcomes-based Care Lowers Costs and Improves Quality
Healthcare providers who move from the FFS model to an outcomes-based model take on more financial risk since they must manage the entire episode of care. Technologies like eConsult telemedicine systems mitigate this risk by empowering PCPs to connect with on-demand specialists for their patients. With eConsults, PCPs work with patients who may not be able to follow-up directly with a specialist, have limited mobility, or do not require high-acuity specialist care.
eConsults alleviate stress on the entire healthcare system by reducing unnecessary specialist visits, improving access to patient care at the PCP level, and freeing up specialist time to focus on higher acuity patients. Our internal data reveals that for every specialist visit referral that is avoided, 3.5 total visits including follow up are ultimately saved.
Learn how a telemedicine system empowers PCPs to manage patient outcomes by offering a new diagnosis.
Eric Urquiza
Sr. Vice President of Operations & Client Experience at AristaMD
Eric has 20 years of experience driving transformational healthcare IT programs, advancing patient care, improving access and outcomes for patients through technological solutions. He has been successful in leading many strategic client relationships and increasing provider adoption of telehealth solutions, ultimately leading to strong efficacy for underserved populations throughout the country. Eric holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Redlands.