Volume 15 | March 2022
HITS eHealth Office
eServices Insider
14 New Provincial BASE™ 
Managed Specialty Groups
The following BASE™ Managed Specialty Groups are now available to all primary care providers using eConsult:

  • Abortion Care
  • Breast Oncology
  • Gastrointestinal Oncology
  • Lung Oncology
  • Malignant Hematology Oncology
  • Urology Oncology
  • COVID-19 –Respirology
  • Post-COVID Condition – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Post COVID Condition – Internal Medicine
  • Post COVID Condition – Neurology
  • Post-COVID Condition – Physical Medicine/Rehab
  • Post-COVID Condition – Respiratory Recovery
  • LGBTQIA+ Sexual Health
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)

Use either the BASE™ Managed Specialty Group dropdown menu or type the name of the group into the 'Specific Provider or Group' search box to locate these groups and send your eConsult.
HNHB Specialists Available on eConsult
Did you know there are now over 300 specialists from Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant (HNHB) region that are available to answer your eConsults on OTNHub?
Connect with your preferred specialists directly by using the 'Specific Provider or Group' option when creating your eConsult.
Did you know you can also 'Favourite' a specialist on eConsult? Click the Favourite icon on a specialist's directory profile for easier access next time!
Accredited eConsult Webinar Series

Courtesy of our partners at the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization (SEAMO), a series of 8 half-hour eConsult webinars are available to primary care providers in Ontario.

Attend one or all 8 webinars to receive up to 4 credits from the College of Family Physicians and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

For more information or assistance, please email SEAMO directly at seamo.digitalhealth@queensu.ca.
Session 1: Pediatrics and eConsults with Dr. Richard van Wylick

Session 2: Endocrinology and eConsults with Dr. Robyn Houlden

Session 3: Cardiology and eConsults with Dr. Cathy McLellan

Session 4: Gastroenterology and eConsults with Dr. Lawrence Hookey
Friday, March 25, 2022 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Session 5: Hematology and eConsults with Dr. David Lee
Friday, April 8, 2022 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Session 6: Urology and eConsults with Dr. Michael Leveridge
Friday, April 29, 2022 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Session 7: Neurology and eConsults with Dr. Albert Jin
Friday, May 27, 2022 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Session 8: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and eConsults with Dr. Sarosh Khalid-Khan
Friday, June 10, 2022 8:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Key Elements of a Quality eConsult
Send eConsults for Non-Urgent Clinical Questions
While eConsult should not be used for urgent or emergent inquiries, there are many uses for the tool including:

  • Canceled Surgeries/Procedures: Use eConsult to seek advice for managing the care of a patient who has had their surgery or procedure cancelled.
  • Enhanced Support for Mental Health: Seek advice from psychiatrists regarding medication changes or specialized treatment suggestions.
  • Diagnostic Imaging: Consult with Diagnostic Radiologists on eConsult regarding what imaging to order, necessity or timing of repeat imaging or interpretation of imaging results.
Include a Clear and Concise Clinical Question
While including patient history and current symptoms is highly important in an eConsult, having a clear question for the specialist ensures a faster response for you and your patient!
Include Sufficient and Appropriate Clinical Details
Be sure to include relevant investigations and treatments specific to the clinical question. Add progress notes from your EMR or other reports as an attachment.
Add Images and/or Attachments
eConsult supports many different file types including images, documents, video and PDFs. Note: File attachments with a comma in the name will not open in Google Chrome. For example, eye,xray.pdf.
Using eConsult for Dermatology

Using the Provincial Dermatology BASE™ Managed Specialty Group option or by sending an eConsult directly to any dermatologist available on OTNHub, you can get a consult on your patient's skin condition within days!

However, diagnosis in dermatology is a very visual skill and requires high-quality images.

  1. Include at least 1 image but multiple images will help the dermatologist provide the consult.
  2. Ensure images are sharp, clear and in-focus.
  3. Include close-up photos of individual lesions and affected areas.
  4. Place a ruler in the same plane as the lesion – this provides information regarding the size of the lesion/area and helps the camera focus.


“I personally have had two eConsults now with the dermatologist and have been thrilled with the results. One actually came back the same day I sent it.

She lays out the differential diagnoses, advises if biopsy necessary to determine correct diagnosis, and then provides outline of therapeutic plan for each possible outcome. Clear as can be, and so helpful. Patients are thrilled.”

– Sue Leddy NP-PHC, Maitland Valley Family Health Team
Quick Guide for Sending eConsults
Take a look at the new eConsult Requesting Provider Best Practice Quick Guide to easily reference:

  • Key responsibilities when sending an eConsult
  • An overview of how to send an eConsult
  • 5 key elements of a high quality eConsult request
  • Important information about privacy, consent, documentation and billing.

For more eConsult resources, visit

Data as of February 2022. This data has been reproduced with permission from the Ontario eConsult Centre of Excellence. For more information, please contact eConsult@HITSeHealth.ca.
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.