TY - JOUR
KW - Attitude of Health Personnel
KW - COVID-19/epidemiology/therapy
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Female
KW - Humans
KW - Male
KW - Managed Care Programs/organization & administration
KW - Physicians, Primary Care/statistics & numerical data
KW - Practice Patterns, Physicians'/statistics & numerical data
KW - Primary Health Care/statistics & numerical data
KW - Referral and Consultation/statistics & numerical data
KW - Telemedicine/statistics & numerical data
AU - O. J. Mechanic
AU - N. Nguyen
AU - A. B. Kimball
AU - C. Awtrey
A1 - 
AB - OBJECTIVES: Prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, introductions between primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists were conducted in person. These important meetings were integral to patient care, facilitated care coordination, and improved the managed care of the patient. During COVID-19 and beyond, these important relationships should be fostered via digital means. We aimed to identify opportunities of digital health integration for the optimization of physician integration. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Prior to COVID-19, we conducted a survey of PCPs at a large multidisciplinary group with more than 1500 physicians that staffs multiple hospitals within a health system. The survey was sent via email with only 1 reminder. RESULTS: Thirty-six PCPs responded to the survey; 25% (9/36) were very satisfied and 19.4% (7/36) were moderately satisfied with the current in-person introductions. The PCPs found introductions to specialists helpful; 83.7% (31/37) wanted to "put a name to the face," and 64.9% (24/37) wanted to "understand the range of service provided by the specialist." Fifty-one percent (19/37) and 54% (20/37) said "I can better manage patient care and know when to refer to a specialist" and "I learn more about a particular specialist," respectively, with specialist introductions. If made easy, 67.6% (25/37) of PCPs would be interested in TeleConnect to facilitate introductions to specialists. CONCLUSIONS: Referrals between PCPs and specialists have been an integral aspect of medical care within managed care organizations. With the advent of technology during COVID-19, and along with this brief survey, the need for digital means to introduce PCPs and specialists is underscored.
AD - Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 375 Longwood Ave, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02215. Email: omechani@bidmc.harvard.edu.
BT - The American Journal of Managed Care
C5 - Education & Workforce
CP - 1
DO - 10.37765/ajmc.2021.88577
IS - 1
JF - The American Journal of Managed Care
LA - eng
M1 - Journal Article
N2 - OBJECTIVES: Prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, introductions between primary care physicians (PCPs) and specialists were conducted in person. These important meetings were integral to patient care, facilitated care coordination, and improved the managed care of the patient. During COVID-19 and beyond, these important relationships should be fostered via digital means. We aimed to identify opportunities of digital health integration for the optimization of physician integration. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Prior to COVID-19, we conducted a survey of PCPs at a large multidisciplinary group with more than 1500 physicians that staffs multiple hospitals within a health system. The survey was sent via email with only 1 reminder. RESULTS: Thirty-six PCPs responded to the survey; 25% (9/36) were very satisfied and 19.4% (7/36) were moderately satisfied with the current in-person introductions. The PCPs found introductions to specialists helpful; 83.7% (31/37) wanted to "put a name to the face," and 64.9% (24/37) wanted to "understand the range of service provided by the specialist." Fifty-one percent (19/37) and 54% (20/37) said "I can better manage patient care and know when to refer to a specialist" and "I learn more about a particular specialist," respectively, with specialist introductions. If made easy, 67.6% (25/37) of PCPs would be interested in TeleConnect to facilitate introductions to specialists. CONCLUSIONS: Referrals between PCPs and specialists have been an integral aspect of medical care within managed care organizations. With the advent of technology during COVID-19, and along with this brief survey, the need for digital means to introduce PCPs and specialists is underscored.
PY - 2021
SN - 1936-2692; 1088-0224
SP - e4
EP - e6
EP - 
T1 - TeleConnect: Digitally connecting physicians across the health care system
T2 - The American Journal of Managed Care
TI - TeleConnect: Digitally connecting physicians across the health care system
U1 - Education & Workforce
U2 - 33471462
U3 - 10.37765/ajmc.2021.88577
VL - 27
VO - 1936-2692; 1088-0224
Y1 - 2021
Y2 - Jan 1
ER -