University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics will participate in a $7 million, three-year project to improve health care coordination between primary care and specialty physicians using e-consult and e-Referral technology.

The goal of the project is to improve the quality of care and the patient experience, while reducing the overall cost of care by enhancing communication and coordination between primary care and specialty physicians.

“This new model of care has been shown to significantly improve quality through improved coordination and timely access to specialty input, while reducing the costs of care through fewer referrals and reduced fragmentation of care," says Patrick Brophy, professor and founder of the UI eHealth and eNovation Center. “Patients benefit from timely specialty expertise, as well as greater convenience and savings through care delivered through their primary care medical home.”

UI Hospitals and Clinics joins several of the nation’s other leading academic medical centers (AMCs) on the project. These AMCs serve a collective population of more than 500,000 primary care patients, who are the targeted beneficiaries of this innovative care model.

Funding comes from the Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The program will be funded through round two of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) Health Care Innovation Awards, which fund efforts to reduce costs, test new payment and clinical models, and improve care for patients with specialized needs.

More information is available online at CMMI Health Care Innovation Awards.

The UI eHealth & eNovation center was established in November of 2013. Its focus is on improving patient accessibility and provider satisfaction using virtual opportunities to streamline care delivery. See a detailed description of the center’s activities and collaborative opportunities.