eConsult Calculator
Curious about the ROI on eConsults?
Decrease unnecessary face-to-face specialist referrals by 70%
33% of patients
$305
3.4 specialist visits
To use the eConsult calculator, slide the blue circles to see the savings your organization can generate from eConsults annually.
Estimate the number of eConsults your primary care providers will request.
AristaMD users report that eConsults replace > 70% of specialist referral visits.
Total eConsults multiplied the % of replaced referrals.
Total eConsults multiplied the $100 per consult.
Total replaced specialists visits multiplied by 3 — the average number of speciality care visits needed for diagnosis and treatment, multiplied by the average cost per specialist visit – $305.
Referral Savings = 3 specialists visits per avoided referral x $305 per visit
Approximately 20% of patients have non-clinically indicated duplicate testing, which can be avoided using eConsults. Averaged per patient, unnecessary tests and lab work cost about $85.4
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality estimates that between 13-27% of ED visits could be managed outside of the ED5 and the average cost of an ED visit is $1200.6
A single hospital readmission costs about $15,000.6 14% of patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, and 27% of those readmissions are avoidable.7
Request a Detailed Analysis of eConsult Savings?
How eConsults Reduce Overuse of Emergency Departments
Many issues drive overuse of emergency departments (EDs) by low acuity patients. Diminished access to specialty care, long patient wait times for specialist visits, and poor patient understanding of how to manage chronic conditions are a few examples. eConsults mitigate the disparities in care and access to specialists.
In many healthcare systems, hospital closures, practice consolidations, and a lack of access to specialty providers mean that patients must travel far or wait a long time to receive care. This is true for conditions and complaints within a wide range of specialties, and in both rural and urban communities. Without a specialist care plan in place, low acuity patients can end up in overtaxed emergency rooms for conditions that could’ve been managed by primary care doctors much closer to home.
Low acuity patients can quickly obtain access to specialists within the primary care setting. eConsults enable primary care physicians to create and manage expedient care plans while reducing ER visits and improving care delivery.
1 Mehrotra, A., Forrest, C. B., & Lin, C. Y. (2011, March). Dropping the baton: Specialty referrals in the United States. The Milbank quarterly. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3160594/
2 MEPS (Medical Expenditure Panel Survey): STATISTICAL BRIEF #484: Expenses for Office¬-Based Physician Visits by Specialty, 2013
3 Barnett et al; Arch Intern Med. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2013 February 09
4LaPointe, J. (2019, July 26). Balancing specialty and primary care lowers costs for Acos. Value Based Care News. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://revcycleintelligence.com/news/balancing-specialty-and-primary-care-lowers-costs-for-acos
5https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8628817/
6https://www.afcurgentcare.com/blog/cost-of-urgent-care-vs-cost-of-er-visit/#:~:text=on%20average%2c%20urgent%20care%20visits,costing%20between%20%241%2c200%20and%20%241%2c300.
7https://www.fticonsulting.com/insights/articles/value-based-care-operational-context-matters
8https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3080556/#:~:text=The%20median%20proportion%20of%20readmissions,from%205%25%20to%2079%25.