Connexion
English

E-consults

E-consults

Over the years, Omnimed has developed a large network of caregivers with whom we work daily. Always keeping in mind our primary objective to offer tools that help improving healthcare by bringing together stakeholders and sharing information, we have launched an innovative project which allows general practitioners to contact specialists through a simple computerized process.

Contextual setting

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 requests are justified and that the specialist will have enough information to guide the patient through the necessary testing to assess the diagnostic of their condition. It is to reduce the number of unnecessary consultations and allow family doctors to obtain answers to certain questions that we’ve implemented this project.

How does it work?

Simple as 1,2,3!

  1. The family doctor asks a question to the specialist through a task sent via our electronic medical record and tells him the information to look at in the patient record (clinical notes, medical history, medications, results, etc.)
     

  2. The specialist receives an email saying that a new request has been assigned to him.
     

  3. He, then, takes a look at the request and access the patient record to get all the information he needs to the best advice to the general practitioner.
     

  4. The specialist writes guidelines, advice or thoughts in a note directly in the patient record. Finally, he answers the task sent by the family doctor.

There are many advantages

For the general practitioner:
  • Facilitate the access to specialists opinion on borderline cases
     

  • Support the diagnosis and improve follow-ups by using clinical tools
     

  • Ensure better documentation of the dialogue between the doctors than in a phone consultation
     

  • Improve knowledge on more complex clinical cases and on new treatments (continuous training)

For the specialist:
  • Reduce the second line medicine waiting list and the number of simple consultations
     

  • Make a difference in continuous learning for first-line physicians
     

  • Prevent incomplete consultation requests by insuring better documentation of medical cases
     

  • Access the patient’s medical record to understand better his health condition and give sound advice

For the patient:
  • Save time and money related to travel
     

  • Decrease waiting for time and stress related to the wait

For the healt system:
  • Encourage better patient care from family physicians
     

  • Optimize access to specialists through the CRDS thanks to the reduction of requests
     

  • Reduce the number of consultations = Reduce costs associated with these consultations
     

  • Save costs associated to postal services

Positive results

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.

Testimonies

"This step is revolutionary because it allows retrieving all consultations that can wait for a week and that normally wait for several months… One of the positive effects of this model is that it allows preventing unnecessary consultations. It is 30% of consultation requests that will finally not necessitate for the patient to travel to the health center to meet with the specialist."

- Dr. Simon-Pierre Landry, family doctor in the Laurentians

 

"Doctors from the Laurentian region started to contact specialists from the CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS. It’s like the distance was abolished."

- Dr Richard Le Blanc, hematologist, member of the e-consultation project

"During a routine follow-up, one of my patients in good health told me that he had been really tired for some time. After running a few blood tests, one of his results was still bothering me. I decided then to send a simple question to Dr. Leblanc. After reviewing his medical record, he told me to send an urgent consultation request. The patient got an appointment with him not too long after and Dr. Le Blanc diagnosed him with rare cancer in an early stage."

- Dre Stéphanie Blais-Boilard, family doctor in the Eastern Townships

25 specialists collaborating

19 specialties covered

45 requests on average each month

They talk about e-consults!

Learn more about what has been said in the media about the project. These interviews/articles highlight the advantages of the electronic consultations, the buzz surrounding the project and the positive impacts that have already been seen.

(Available in French only)

Take action!

Are you a specialist and would like to participate in the project?

Do you know a specialist who would like to collaborate with us?

Write us an email at support@omnimed.com or call us at 1 888 780-6081.