How eConsults enable better specialty care for CHC and Rural Health patients

Healthcare specialists are far less concentrated in rural and resource-limited areas, creating access barriers for primary care teams and the patients they serve.  This often means specialty care is delayed, costly, or simply unavailable. 

RubiconMD eConsults help community and rural health PCPs manage more cases within their practices, reducing the need for unnecessary referrals and improving access to specialty expertise. 

Specialty Care Access Challenges for Rural Primary Care

Healthcare delivery in rural areas comes with many unique challenges, including:

• Specialty referral overload: Limited numbers of local practitioners and non-urgent referred cases create a backlog; many cases could be managed in primary care with the right guidance.
• Access barriers: In addition to long waits, patients in rural and underserved areas worry about care quality, high costs, and logistical hurdles such as limited transportation. 
• Provider burden: PCPs and patients benefit from quick access to specialty insights to manage complex care plans without sending patients away from their local setting. 

How eConsults Avoid Specialty Referrals, Services at CHCs

RubiconMD eConsults allow PCPs at community health centers (CHCs) and rural clinics to submit clinical questions to top, board-certified specialists through a secure, asynchronous platform. Responses typically arrive in about 3.5 hours, enabling PCPs to provide timely, evidence-based care without sending patients for unnecessary face-to-face visits. 

The Proven Impact of eConsults for CHCs

Below are just a few of the ways that eConsults can positively impact CHC and rural health challenges:

Unnecessary specialist referrals: Studies show eConsults avoid up to 70% of unneeded referrals and empower PCPs to manage more cases with timely specialist guidance.¹

Long wait times for appointments: RubiconMD Specialist responses to PCP submissions are typically received within 3.5 hours.

Rising costs: Studies show eConsults reduce overall medical costs up to 20% by avoiding unneeded in-person visits.²

Clinical uncertainty: PCPs receive support and guidance for care planning and ongoing treatment plan maintenance. Studies show PCPs routinely value the educational clinical value of eConsults and adopt insights provided by specialists.³

Access disparities: PCPs and their patients receive support from top-tier specialists regardless of geography. Studies show patients actually prefer eConsults to in-person specialist appointments when they can be treated by their PCP.⁴

Value for CHCs and Rural Healthcare Providers

For practices like CHCs and rural primary care, every referral avoided is meaningful. eConsults allow providers to:

• Deliver specialty-informed care quickly and locally.
• Reduce financial and logistical barriers for patients.
• Strengthen continuity by keeping care within the primary care setting.
• Preserve limited specialty appointments for cases truly requiring in-person evaluation. 

Read Real eConsult Transcripts

Below are a couple of real examples from our platform that show how eConsults can improve the quality of care in primary care settings. Both of these eConsult enabled the PCP to be confident in their treatment plan without having to refer the patient to a specialist. 

• Diabetes Care: 69-year-old hispanic female with Diabetes presents with advanced CKD. PCP would like recommendations to optimize the patient’s care plan. Read the transcript
• Gynecology Guidance: PCP seeks guidance for patient with postmenopausal bleeding after starting estrogen/progesterone supplementation. Specialist clarified US results and med management. Read the transcript

Supporting Local Primary Care 

RubiconMD eConsults strengthen primary care teams by providing rapid access to specialty guidance, allowing more conditions to be managed locally. For providers in underserved communities, this model creates a practical, scalable way to expand care without additional staffing or costly infrastructure. 

Learn more about how RubiconMD supports local primary care organizations at the Virginia Community Health Care Association (VCHA) Annual Conference from September 24-26. 

References:

1. Helmer-Smith, M., Fung, C., Afkham, A., Crowe, L., Gazarin, M., Keely, E., Moroz, I., & Liddy, C. (2020). The Feasibility of Using Electronic Consultation in Long-Term Care Homes. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 21(8), 1166–1170.e2. 
2. Newman, Eric D. MD, Simonelli, Paul F., MD, PhD, et al (2019). Impact of Primary and Specialty Care Integration via Asynchronous Communication. Am J Manag Care. 25(1):26-31. 
3. Kwok J, Olayiwola JN, Knox M, Murphy EJ, Tuot DS. Electronic consultation system demonstrates educational benefit for primary care providers. J Telemed Telecare. 2018 Aug;24(7):465-472. doi: 10.1177/1357633X17711822. Epub 2017 Jun 14. PMID: 28614974.
4. Ackerman, S.L., Gleason, N. & Shipman, S.A. Comparing Patients’ Experiences with Electronic and Traditional Consultation: Results from a Multisite Survey. J GEN INTERN MED 35, 1135–1142 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-05703-7