A Patient’s Guide to E-Consults at ColumbiaDoctors
What is an E-Consult?
An E-Consult is a consultation between two health care providers about a patient’s health. When your ColumbiaDoctors provider requests an E-Consult, they are asking a specialist at Columbia to review relevant information in your electronic medical record to answer a specific question or make a recommendation about your care. The specialist may review lab test results, photographs, and diagnostic scans.
Why is my health care provider requesting an E-Consult?
Your health care provider has a question about your care that is best answered by a specialist. It might be a question about medication interactions or test results. These types of questions require a specialist to set aside time to review your records to provide personalized and relevant answers. This does not require you to come in for a face-to-face visit, but the specialist will request an appointment with you if it’s necessary to provide the best evaluation.
What are the advantages of an E-Consult?
You do not need to come in for an appointment, saving you the time and expense of traveling to the doctor’s office. You and your health care provider will also receive the specialist’s recommendations more quickly than if you had to schedule an in-person visit with the specialist. In many cases, recommendations are available in less than a week. Recommendations are documented in your medical record and can be shared with other health care providers.
How do I get the specialist recommendations?
Your health care provider will contact you to discuss the specialist’s feedback and recommendations with you and answer any questions you may have.
What do I need to do?
Nothing. Your health care provider will request the E-Consult and communicate with the specialist.
What is the cost?
Your insurance company will be charged for the E-Consult, and you may be responsible for a co-pay or deductible depending on your plan benefits. If you have questions about coverage, check with your insurer.