Expanding on the Vision for Value-Based Care: How eConsults Can Help Realize Better Outcomes

Value-based care must be central to the future of the U.S. healthcare system — reducing cost, improving outcomes, and most importantly, keeping patients healthier. 

As we collectively pursue that future, one foundational challenge remains: how to operationalize value-based care at scale — especially when primary care clinicians are under pressure to manage growing patient complexity with limited specialist access, interoperability challenges, and tight operational margins. eConsults — timely, asynchronous specialist consultations — offer a proven approach that helps close those gaps.

1. Bridging the Specialist Access Gap: Timely, Efficient Insights at the Point of Care

The recent Fierce Healthcare op-ed by Dr. Sree Chaguturu of CVS Health outlines a compelling vision for moving beyond fee-for-service to a model where care delivery is coordinated, preventive, and outcomes-driven.¹ But in the traditional referral model, patients often wait weeks for a specialist appointment — slowing care plans and increasing costs. 

With eConsults, primary care providers (PCPs) can receive specialist guidance within hours–often within just 3.5 hours–helping them make evidence-based decisions without unnecessary delays. This rapid access supports better chronic disease management, more complete care plans, and fewer avoidable emergency visits — all of which align with the core goals of VBC. 

Impact in practice:

• Up to 70% of eConsults avoid the need for an in-person referral altogether, reducing patient burden and lowering overall costs. 

2. Elevating Quality Across the Care Continuum

Dr. Chaguturu’s op-ed underscores the importance of strong coordination between primary and specialty care — a centerpiece of VBC. 

eConsults embed that coordination into everyday clinical workflows by creating a documented specialist recommendation directly in the patient’s chart. Rather than relying on opaque referral loops, PCPs and specialists collaborate — often in real time — to refine diagnoses, adjust treatment plans, and proactively manage patients with complex needs.

Clinical quality benefits include:

• Improved adherence to evidence-based guidelines
• Fewer redundant or low-value tests
• Stronger alignment on medication safety, comorbid management, and patient-specific concerns

90% of eConsults result in improved care plans, demonstrating measurable quality gains in primary care delivery. 

3. Optimizing Resource Utilization to Drive Cost Efficiency

One of the greatest hurdles in adopting value-based contracts is resource utilization — ensuring that costly specialist services are used only when necessary. Most health systems and payers struggle with unnecessary referrals, duplicate testing, and inefficient care pathways.

eConsults act as a filter and amplifier:

• PCPs manage more cases independently with specialist guidance
• Specialist time is reserved for patients who truly need in-person evaluation
• Unnecessary diagnostics and scheduling bottlenecks are reduced

The result? Healthcare costs decrease, without compromising quality — supporting the fiscal goals that VBC contracts demand. 

4. Strengthening Coordination and Longitudinal Care

Seamless care coordination is a cornerstone of value-based models, and eConsults formalize that coordination through robust documentation and shared clinical insights that follow the patient across care settings.

This level of collaboration supports:

• Patient-centered medical homes
• Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
• Chronic disease registries with dynamic treatment plans

By creating a clear trail of clinical decision-making, eConsults help reduce medical errors, enhance follow-up care, and support long-term relationships between PCPs, specialists, and patients — all measurable elements critical to success under VBC arrangements.

Conclusion: A Stronger Path Forward Through Collaboration

eConsults are more than a SaaS technology — they are a practical strategy for achieving the outcomes VBC promises. By improving specialist access, enhancing clinical quality, optimizing resources, and reinforcing care coordination, eConsults help health systems, clinicians, and payers deliver the right care, to the right patient, at the right time. 

References:

Fierce Healthcare. Op-ed: For a better health future, we must look to value-based care. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/finance/op-ed-better-health-future-we-must-look-value-based-care