What's an electronic consultation?

 

One of Omnimed's Electronic Medical Record (EMR) biggest asset is the fact that a patient has one unique file that follows him and is available from anywhere. Omnimed makes it possible for different health professionals from different clinics or environments to collaborate in the same files for the benefit of everyone.

Context of use

The Service Request Dispatch Centres (CRDS) are currently overflowed with requests that could be managed in first-line medicine provided that family doctors have access to the right information and to specialists through electronic consultations. Family doctors have to send their patients in consultation with specialists hoping their request is justified and that the specialist will have enough information to guide the patient through the necessary testing to assess the diagnostic of their condition. A dilemma is then created because the family doctor would like to have a quick answer to his question about the patient's condition but he also knows the time period before his patient is seen can be very long depending on the chosen specialty.

What is an electronic consultation?

An electronic consultation is a collaboration between first and second line physicians directly into Omnimed's EMR. Family physicians can ask questions related to a clinical note, a result of any information found in the patient's file using tasks. This procedure allows family physicians to have answers to their ambiguous or complex questions and to offer the best possible service to their patients.

What electronic consultation is not?

An electronic consultation doesn't substitute traditional specialty requests placed to service dispatch centers. Electronic consultations are reserved for non-urgent cases. You should also note that the specialist must be able to answer the question without seeing the patient.

The benefits for the family doctor

  • An increased availability from specialists for non-urgent questions
  • The possibility to keep patients' follow-ups in first-line medicine for a better-adapted access
  • Better documentation of the dialogue between the doctors than in a phone consultation
  • Access to “continuous training” with real-life cases
  • Facilitated access to specialists opinion on borderline cases
  • Improvement in the knowledge of more complex clinical cases and on new treatments
  • The possibility to shed light on ambiguous cases that would not have been reported to a specialist otherwise

The benefits for the specialist

  • The reduction of simple consultations
  • The possibility to make a difference in continuous learning for first-line physicians
  • The prevention of incomplete consultation requests
  • Better documentation of patient files and clinical cases before the in-person consultation
  • The reduction of follow-ups kept in second-line medicine

The benefits for the patient

  • The possibility to save time and money related to travel costs
  • A decrease in waiting time to see a specialist

The benefits for everyone

  • Encourage better patient care from family physicians
  • Optimize access to specialists through the CRDS
  • Reduce costs associated with simple consultations

What our users say about the project

Up to this date, specialists collaborating with us in the electronic consultation project state that the questions asked through Omnimed are pertinent and can be answered in a couple of minutes without having to see the patient. Family doctors, on their end, really enjoy having easy access to specialists in a couple of clicks without being under the impression that they are bothering them. There's also a big improvement in the quality of the documentation of exchanges between the doctors if we compare to phone consultations.

Remuneration

Remuneration varies according to the specialty. Some specialties already have codes that englobe these types of consultations while others do not. We are also in the process of negotiating with the government to have a clear and transparent code of electronic consultations for all specialties. Please contact us for any specific questions or more information!