Shared Care (RACE and eCASE)

RACE​

RACE is a novel strategy to enhance patient care.  For traditional referrals, patients often wait months to see a specialist, however minor advice may be all that is needed.  An educational interaction with knowledge transfer is encouraged when the specialist answers the call.  In the spirit of “capacity building”, specialists are recruited for their interest in teaching and communication as well as their recognition as key opinion leaders.  Compensation for physicians is via fee for service billing.  While any FP could call any specialist, prior to RACE, it was on a “catch me if you can” basis and there was no guarantee that a specialist could be contacted or would call back in a timely manner.  The RACE line provides structure to promote easy accessibility while allowing for sustainability through an organized rotation.  Patients may have their healthcare issue dealt with in their FP office instead of needing to see a specialist.  This will often render face-to-face consultation or referral to an emergency department unnecessary.

eCASE

eCASE (electronic Consultative Access to Specialist Expertise) is a novel strategy to enhance patient care, currently in the prototype phase. For traditional referrals, patients often wait months to see a specialist, however minor advice may be all that is needed. Conversations are mediated through a web-based platform, and GPs are able to attach clinical documents that may help specialists in making a recommendation. An educational interaction with knowledge transfer is encouraged when the specialist answers the call. In the spirit of “capacity building”, specialists are recruited for their interest in teaching and communication as well as their recognition as key opinion leaders. Patients may have their healthcare issue dealt with by their GP instead of needing to see a specialist. This will often render face-to-face consultation unnecessary.