NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Safety Net Connect (SNC), a leading provider of innovative healthcare technology solutions, is pleased to announce that the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (LADHS) has delivered over 1,000,000 eConsults using the Converge, next-generation eConsult technology, from SNC. This unprecedented milestone marks the scale, efficacy and success of LADHS’ agency-wide initiative in delivering rapid access to coordinated care for the county’s diverse safety net community.
“We’re harnessing technology to facilitate more collaborative, effective, and efficient care,” explains Dr. Hal Yee, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, LADHS. “This is a notable achievement in health information technology – and represents a true transformation in our nation’s model of healthcare delivery.”
Inspired by the eReferral technology developed at San Francisco General Hospital by Dr. Yee, the LADHS eConsult platform initially launched with just two specialties and only 53 eConsults in July of 2012. Since then the program has expanded to include a panel of 600 specialist reviewers across 64 specialties, responding to an average of 20,000 eConsults requests each month. Notably, the LADHS eConsult initiative has dramatically improved access to quality care for the county’s safety net community, with an overall reduction of 50% in wait times for many DHS specialties since the program’s initiation.
“The eConsult program had almost immediate buy-in which led to rapid adoption and expansion,” shared Stanley Dea, MD, Director of eConsult, LADHS. “The short time it took us to reach a million eConsults is testimony to continued value to all our users. We anticipate continued improvement of the platform over the next million eConsults.”
LADHS is the second largest municipal health system in the United States, with a vast delivery network using the eConsult platform across diverse care settings, including: county hospitals and clinics, providers in both rural and urban communities, jails, and juvenile courts. Longitudinal studies of the LADHS initiative have demonstrated consistent, sustainable rapid access to specialty care – and the program has been recognized for dramatically improving the quality of patient-centered specialty care.
About Los Angeles County Department of Health Services
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) is the second largest municipal health system in the nation. Through its integrated system of 24 health centers and four hospitals - and expanded network of community partner clinics – DHS annually provides direct care for over 500,000 unique patients and employs over 22,000 staff. In 2015, the County Departments of Health Services, Public Health, and Mental Health were integrated under a Health Agency Model to meet the County’s most pressing health needs. For additional information, please visit www.dhs.lacounty.gov.
About Safety Net Connect
Since 2009, Safety Net Connect (SNC) has been a leading creator of innovative healthcare technology that makes it easier for providers and institutions to increase access to care, streamline care coordination, promote evidence-based practices, and improve quality. With a mission to improve health equity, SNC has helped public and private healthcare organizations across the nation successfully reach millions of low-income, underserved individuals with affordable, effective patient-centered care. For more information, please visit www.safetynetconnect.com.
