Impact of the Connected Medicine collaborative in improving access to specialist care: a cross-sectional analysis.

Background: In 2017, the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement launched the Connected Medicine collaborative to support the implementation, spread and adaptation of 2 innovative remote consult solutions - the Champlain Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation (BASE) eConsult service and the Rapid Access to Consultative Expertise (RACE) service - across Canada. We evaluated the impact of the programs implemented through the collaborative.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from provincial teams that participated in the Connected Medicine collaborative, which took place between June 2017 and December 2018 in 7 provinces across Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador).

How long are Canadians waiting to access specialty care? Retrospective study from a primary care perspective.

Objective: To calculate patient wait times for specialist care using data from primary care clinics across Canada.

Design: Retrospective chart audit.

Setting: Primary care clinics.

Supporting the spread and scale-up of electronic consultation across Canada: cross-sectional analysis.

Objective: To examine the process of implementing an electronic consultation (eConsult) service and evaluate its impact along key metrics outlined by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Clinics using eConsult in four provinces across Canada: Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Electronic Consultation Services Worldwide: Environmental Scan.

Background: Excessive wait times for specialist care pose a serious concern for many patients, leading to duplication of tests, patient anxiety, and poorer health outcomes. In response to this issue, many health care systems have begun implementing technological innovations designed to improve the referral-consultation process. Among these services is electronic consultation (eConsult), which connects primary care providers and specialists through a secure platform to facilitate discussion of patients' care.

Physician Remuneration for Remote Consults: An Overview of Approaches across Canada.

While lengthy waits for medical specialists remains a persistent problem across Canada, remote consult presents a strategy to address this issue. Connecting primary healthcare providers to specialists via electronic (eConsult) or telephone consult enables care providers to deliver appropriate, speciality-informed care for their patients in the primary care setting, reducing the time spent waiting for specialists and potentially preventing unnecessary referrals to specialty care. These remote consult models are the focus of a new pan-Canadian quality improvement collaborative delivered by the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with Canada Health Infoway, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.