Since the inception of the Ontario eConsult Program in February 2017, primary care providers (PCPs) and specialists in the South East region have helped expand the service into a thriving enterprise.
Who’s On Board?
As of December 2019, 148 primary care providers were actively engaging in eConsult (active users are those who have sent at least three eConsults over the last six months). The South East region is second only to the Waterloo-Wellington region in the percentage of active PCPs.
The South East region also has the highest number of active specialists (106) on the Ontario eConsult Program, representing 19% of the total active specialists in Ontario.
Plus the Program continues to grow in popularity. In January 2020, another three PCPs and three specialists joined the Ontario eConsult Program in the South East region.
Specialties Accessed
Dermatology continues to be our most requested specialty, with 16% of all eConsults in the South East Region. Hematology (10%), cardiology and neurology (7% each) round out the second and third most popular specialties.
Dermatology is also the most consulted specialty on the provincial level with 13% of all eConsults.
By the Numbers
PCPs in the South East Region sent 3597 eConsults in 2019. By comparison, our region submitted 2238 eConsults in 2018 – representing a 60% increase in 2019.
In 2019, our region submitted nearly 12% of all eConsults province-wide, or 9.08 per 1000 people – the second-highest per capita volume in the province.
Interested in learning more about Digital Health in the South East Region
SEAMO’s Digital Health Support Team is working with several specialties to help integrate eConsults, eVisits and other digital health tools into practice. Reach out to Chelsea Good or Kathleen McGrath at seamo.digitalhealth@queensu.ca to learn more.