Decision Support:
Establish Linkages with Key Specialists
- Find specialists who will treat your patients and support your improvement efforts.
- Review guidelines with specialists to get their input and buy-in.
- Work with specialists to define appropriate patients for referral, based on the guidelines.
- Work with specialists to clarify the approach to follow-up (i.e., the process for getting information to the primary care provider after the specialist sees the patient).
- Develop a mechanism to track the following:
- Referral made
- Specialist saw patient
- Specialist's letter received by primary care provider
- Patient returned to primary care provider
- Use joint visits with specialists or direct phone consultation and other innovative primary care/specialist relationships.
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