January 2022

Preparing for Increased Wait Times for Patients

Sometimes referring a patient to see a Specialist is unavoidable. As the holidays end and Ontario starts to see enhanced restrictions due to COVID-19, patients will be contacting their primary care provider to address their health concerns, many will need to see a Specialist. This may result in longer wait times for patients this winter. eConsult can be used to manage your patient's care while they're waiting to see a Specialist.

You can send any eConsult to a specialist to seek advice on:

• If 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

Are you a new Family Physician or Nurse Practitioner in Ontario?

Primary Care Providers (PCPs) described the service’s ability to foster new and stronger relationships with Specialists, deliver responses that provided teaching in multiple areas of their practice, and support further learning that extended beyond the case at hand and into their overall practice. It is evident that a well-structured question or presentation of a clinical case by a PCP can lead to an informative clinical response by a Specialist that is rich in information, advice, and support.

Benefits of eConsult to New Primary Care Providers

and Nurse Practitioners:

• Access to a large network of Specialists for your patients
• Opportunities to learn from Specialist responses 
• Quicker care for your patients
• Establish new relationships with Specialists
• Increased confidence when referring your patients

How one Erie St Clair Nurse Practitioner feels about eConsult in their Practice

“This platform offers providers the opportunity to ask clinical questions of a Specialist across the province. Providers benefit in receiving a timely response for a course of action, creating a treatment plan and potentially avoiding a referral or confirming a formal referral is needed. It is an opportunity to bridge barriers within the healthcare system especially during challenging times.

I have received communication that is prompt and provides a clear course of action with rationale.”

Kate Bolohan

Nurse Practitioner Lead

Lakeshore Community NPLC

Why Set Your eConsult Priority Regions?

• Setting your priority region to Erie St Clair gives access to local Specialists within the Erie St Clair regional based managed specialty groups automatically
• Without setting priority regions, cases can only be sent to provincial groups
• Contact TransForm for support in making this change if needed (contact details are listed below)



Book a Team Training Session

Are you part of or run a family practice, community health centre or hospital unit? Reach out to us today to book a group training session for your fellow staff.

We can cover:



• how to create an OTNHub account
• how to submit any eConsult directly to a Specialist
• how to submit any eConsult to an Erie, St Clair Regional Specialty Group
• how to utilize a delegate to save time

email us at digitalhealth@transformsso.ca to book your session today

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.

Darren Hopper

Windsor / Essex

Change Management and Adoption Coordinator

Darren.Hopper@transformsso.ca

Matthew McAvoy

Chatham-Kent / Sarnia-Lambton

Change Management and Adoption Coordinator

Matthew.McAvoy@transformsso.ca

Resources:

https://econsultontario.ca/resources/