eConsult Specialist FAQ

An eConsult or online medical consultation is an asynchronous, physician-to-physician communication about a patient’s chief complaint or current condition that leverages the expertise of a physician specialist. Electronic consultations, or eConsults, are often initiated by a primary care provider (PCP) seeking a specialist’s expert opinion about the appropriate diagnosis or treatment for a patient.

Physicians work with us for a multitude of reasons, from giving back to underserved communities to supplementing their income. Here are the most common profiles we see:

• Physicians who need a flexible schedule.
• Providers seeking greater work-life balance.
• Humanitarians who want to help underserved areas that need them most.
• Doctors that need or want to add to their income.
• Technology-forward physicians both need remote specialty care and feel comfortable with the cutting-edge tools that enable that care.

More and more physicians are seeing the benefits of digital health tools for the patient, the primary care provider, and themselves. Your skills are in demand. AristaMD allows you to set your schedule without a minimum commitment.

AristaMD invests in the training of its providers while providing technology that makes responding to the requests of primary care providers easy. With more than a decade of experience providing remote care, we know that delivering excellent service to our clients starts with delivering high-quality care to their patients. That’s why we:

• Simplify the transmission of information between you and the requesting physician by working within a simple online platform that is secure and HIPAA-compliant.
• Train specialists on how to respond to eConsults requests with a focus on highlighting whether care is appropriate in the primary care environment and offering a stepwise approach for testing and intervention.
• Recognize that our providers have other responsibilities, which is why we offer flexible time commitments and quarterly schedules.

Once you apply using our simple online application, our Specialist Network Manager will perform an initial review of your credentials and schedule a 15-20 minute interview that includes questions about your education, experience and desired schedule. An initial screening of your education and work history follows this interview. To complete this screening, you will need to provide the following:

• NPI Number
• Full Name
• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Degree

This information will be entered into our online credentialing tool, Axuall. This tool enables our physicians to get to work faster with less paperwork. The credentialing platform will send you an email invitation to set up a login and complete the credentialing process. Please be prepared to upload the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Government Issued ID
• Professional Photo

Since Axuall gathers most of your background (education, work history, etc.) using the information listed above, the credentialing process is completed within a few days. The specialist must review the information gathered and typically updates a few minor details within their application. Finally, the AristaMD Credentialing Committee evaluates the outcome of the interview and credentialing process.

Payment is made by direct deposit on or around the 15th of each month for eConsults completed in the prior month. You will complete a form to authorize payment by ACH using Paychex®. This form is available through our credentialing platform, Axuall. In addition, you will need to complete an IRS Form W-9, also known as a W9, which is also available in Axuall. This is a tax document required by the IRS to help estimate the taxes owed by contract workers in a given tax year. It’s a request for information as well as an agreement that AristaMD won’t be withholding income tax from your pay — contractors must pay their own taxes on this income. All of our eConsult specialists are classified as independent contractors.

All contracted specialists are covered under AristaMD’s malpractice policy and are not required to purchase additional insurance to respond to eConsults. The primary care provider (PCP) retains sole responsibility for the patient’s care and all decision-making regarding the patient’s treatment. As such, they are expected to exercise independent medical judgment to decide what to do with the information provided by our specialists.

Our specialists receive training online. A series of videos will show you:

• What to expect as an eConsult specialist.
• How to use our platform.
• Expectations for responding to eConsult requests from correctional facilities, if applicable.

After watching these videos, you will be asked to complete an online test to confirm you understand how to use the platform and what is required to provide an appropriate and complete eConsult response.

At the end of each quarter, our Specialist Network Manager will remind you to enter your availability for the upcoming quarter into the platform.

• You decide when you are available to respond to eConsults. There is no minimum requirement.
• The schedule for the upcoming quarter is posted on the platform.
• If you need to change your schedule, reach out by phone or email to our Specialist Network Manager.

After completing your credentialing and training, you will receive an invitation to our secure, HIPAA-compliant platform. You will use our web-based platform to review and respond to primary care providers (PCPs) that need specialty care advice. You can access the platform from a computer desktop, laptop, tablet and/or cell phone eConsults are assigned based on the number of physicians available within a specialty. Some specialties, like dermatology, receive a large number of eConsult requests. As requests are received for a particular specialty, eConsults are assigned in a rotating order. This process is designed to avoid a single specialist becoming overburdened. When assigned an eConsult, you will receive an email and/or text message informing you that a primary care provider needs your advice. You can use the link to access and log in to the AristaMD platform and respond to the eConsult.

Each eConsult request will include the specialty requested, the patient’s chief complaint and the PCP’s question regarding the patient. Most eConsults will also include some or all of the following:

• Patient history
• Visit notes
• Medications
• Related lab work, imaging and tests

If you have additional questions after reviewing the information within the eConsult, the platform will allow you to request more information from the PCP.

The response form will ask you to select a summary status for your response from a drop down menu. The available statuses include:

• Treatment options are available at the primary care level
• Please provide additional information
• Different specialty areas recommended
• Patient should see a specialist in-person for treatment

We also ask all of our specialists to include a detailed answer to the question submitted by the PCP within 24 hours. Here are a few tips on how to respond to an eConsult: Provide time frame suggestions for care:

• Is testing /intervention needed beyond symptom management?
• What is the timeframe for your recommendations?
• A stepwise approach to recommended testing/interventions is most helpful.

Indicate if conservative management is acceptable:

• What monitoring is recommended?
• What clinical developments might change an initial plan or timeframe?

Consider the context of providing care in the primary care setting:

• What might trigger the need for a face-to-face visit with a specialist?
• Does the condition require input from another specialty?
• Will the patient require special instructions?