Volume 11 | July 2021
HITS eHealth Office
eConsult Insider
We Are Here to Support You!

The HITS eHealth Office is the Regional Deployment Lead for OTNHub eConsult in Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB). We are available to help you obtain a ONE ID, register for OTNHub and learn how to best incorporate eConsult into your practice at no cost to you.

eConsult is a secure, web-based messaging platform that allows you to send clinical questions to over 1600 specialists across Ontario and over 280 in HNHB.

Benefits:

  • Median response time is less than1 day​
  • Decreases unnecessary and/or inappropriate referrals​
  • Decreases wait times for diagnosis/treatment​
  • Decreases travel for patient​
  • Builds knowledge in primary care​
  • Increases collaboration with the health care team​

We are always available for one-on-one support sessions via Zoom. We offer flexible timing options that work with your schedule.
Did You Know?

If you already have access to OTNHub utilizing eVisit (Video Visits), you have access to eConsult! eConsult is included in OTNHub Membership for physicians and nurse practitioners.

Simply navigate to "Ask a Clinical Question" on your OTNHub dashboard and send your first eConsult today!
Not sure if you have access, or having trouble logging in? Contact us and we will assist you with your access.
Preparing for Increased Wait Times for Patients

Sometimes referring a patient to see a specialist is unavoidable. As summer ends and Ontario starts to return to normal operations, many patients will be contacting their primary care provider to address their health concerns, many of whom will need to see a specialist. This may result in longer wait times for patients this Fall.

eConsult can be used to manage your patients' care while they are waiting to see a specialist. You can send an eConsult to a specialist to seek advice on:

  • Whether a referral is required
  • What tests to order in preparation for your patient's specialist visit
  • How to manage your patient's care while they wait to see a specialist
  • Confirm a proposed treatment plan
What Users Are Saying about eConsult
Each time a requesting provider completes an eConsult, they are given the opportunity to share the usefulness and outcome of using eConsult through an embedded survey. Here's what users are saying:


Which of the following best describes
the outcome of this eConsult for your patient?
Over 90% received useful advice
As a result of this eConsult, would you say that:
Less than 20% of cases required referral to a specialist
Data as of June 2021.This data has been reproduced with permission from the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence. For more information, please contact eConsult@HITSeHealth.ca.
"In the context of eConsult responses, PCPs (Primary Care Providers) have expressed appreciation for their educational value, citing improved knowledge exchange, improved dialogue between PCPs and specialists, renewed appreciation of each other's scope of practice, and the opportunity to expand the capacity of PCPs to manage complex patients."

Key Components of Traditional Consultation Letters and Their Relevance to Electronic Consultation Replies: A Systematic Review, Christopher Russell, Victor Sandu, Isabella Moroz, Christopher Tran, Erin Keely, and Clare Liddy.
Telemedicine and e-Health.Jun 2020.689-699.http://doi.org/10.1089/tmj.2019.0161
eConsult Impact
Data as of June 2021.This data has been reproduced with permission from the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence. For more information, please contact eConsult@HITSeHealth.ca.
Resource Available for eConsult Specialists

The HITS eHealth Office has a new resource available for specialists who want to communicate to their primary care network that they are available on eConsult!

Sending this communication to primary care providers can help increase the number of eConsults you receive, reduce unnecessary referrals and build new connections.

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Contact Us
For more information on anything in this email, or to schedule a follow-up appointment with our team, please contact us at the email listed below.