Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital's electronic consultations program for allergy and immunology care reduced the average wait time for specialist review from weeks down to 24 hours, according to a study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.
The clinician-to-clinician e-consults program aims to address nonurgent questions specific to an individual patient's care. The program, which launched in August 2016, uses EHR data and does not require real-time communication.
For the study, MGH researchers analyzed data from 300 e-consults completed at the health system between August 2016 and July 2018, as well as in-person consults that began in August 2014.
Results of the study showed that it took allergists 11 minutes on average to complete an e-consult, and the average turnaround time was 24 hours for the referring provider to receive allergy specialist guidance. Additionally, of the 300 total e-consults, 60 percent led to recommendations for in-person specialty visits and 27 percent provided only educational information and advice to the referring clinician. Prior to implementing the program, the average wait time for an in-person allergist appointment at MGH was 22.5 days, which decreased to 21 days after the program started.
Researchers concluded that while e-consults can expedite care for patients with allergy and immunology conditions, expanding use of e-consults relies on the institution's EHR system, which is not always shared between specialists and physicians.