Health centers across California depend on electronic consultations known as eConsults to improve patients’ access to specialty care. The use of eConsults is especially important to people in rural areas, like the Central Valley, who face many challenges accessing health care specialists such as dermatologists, neurologists, and rheumatologists. These electronic dialogues, a key component of comprehensive telehealth, allow primary care physicians to seek advice from geographically distant medical specialists through a digital platform. The consultation results in guidance to the primary care physician, physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner on diagnosis and specialty treatment. This reduces or eliminates the need for many patients to travel for face-to-face visits with specialists.
Electronic consultations enable primary care providers to ask clinical questions of a network of specialists and get an answer within hours. Studies have shown that eConsults decrease wait times for specialist visits and prevent unnecessary referrals. In the safety net, where specialists are difficult to find and access, the impact on a patient’s ability to get needed care is substantial.