Improving Communication Between Primary Care and Specialty Care Physicians

L.A. Care surveys Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) and Specialty Care Physicians (SCPs) each year about the quality of the clinical information they receive from one another. The goal is to identify barriers to continuity and coordination of care for members and bridge gaps.

Based on survey results, here are a few tips for both PCPs and SCPs:

• Ensure all clinical documents for referral include the reason for visit, pertinent examination findings including test results, treatment details provided to patient thus far, and specific details on needs or expectations PCP is requesting from SCP.
   
• Send consultation notes immediately after seeing the patient.
   
• Discuss with your patients the reason for the specialty care referral, the urgency of the visit and timeframe to expect an appointment, and steps to take if there are any further questions, for example, difficulty in scheduling an appointment.
   
• Assign specific staff to monitor and track referrals, including the staff’s responsibility to be a point of contact for the patient for questions and assistance. Make this information easy to find on a form or materials given to the patient.

For more tips, please email the L.A. Care Quality Improvement team.