Supporting Physicians who serve San Diego County residents

Improving the Practice of Medicine

Primary care providers, particularly those practicing at the network of community health centers, have limited access to specialty healthcare for their patients. Project Access San Diego assists PCPs to meet their uninsured patients’ healthcare needs.

SDCMS Foundation is also committed to assisting primary and specialty care physicians increase their knowledge, capacity, and productivity through programs including:

Primary care physician consultations with specialists through eConsultSD, a secure electronic communication vehicle can provide timely answers for unusual medical conditions prior to or without the need for a specialty care visit.
Specialty care services at community health centers can expand the health center’s capacity to serve patients. Specialists are matched with health centers seeking to provide specialty care onsite on a regular basis.
Technical assistance to adopt the use of Electronic Health Records and achieve increased productivity is provided to small-practice physicians.
Providing retired and non-practicing physicians a way to stay current on healthcare issues, retain connection with the medical community, and give back to the community are the reasons for the Retired Physicians Society.
Scholarships to medical students and residents hoping to serve the medically underserved provide modest financial assistance.
Mentorship and advocacy training offer medical students valuable educational experiences.

eConsultSD

eConsultSD is available to primary care physicians for specialty care consultations for all their patients. Often, connection with a specialist to discuss a case, review diagnostic and treatment options, or suggest medication management provides primary care physicians the needed support to manage their patients. eConsultSD is free to physicians, and works from the convenience of office or home computer.

The HIPAA-compliant, secure electronic messaging system allows for upload of patient records, imaging and photographs. Typical communications allows the PCP to learn new protocols or techniques, or best manage medications. And the service is provided to physicians without charge. eConsult specialists are available for the following specialties:

Dermatology
Endocrinology
Gastroenterology
Gynocology
Hematology
Hepatology
Orthopedic Surgery
Pain Management
Radiology
Rheumatology

To demonstrate eConsultSD, gain a login and set up your account, contact Lauren Banfe or call 858.565.7930. Click for easy instructions for how to use eConsultSD.

Specialty Care at Community Clinic Sites

SDCMSF links physicians seeking to provide volunteer or paid specialty care with many of the 90 community health center sites. Interested physicians should contact Lauren Banfe, Resource Development Director.

Educational Programs

Our current initiatives include increasing adult immunization rates and improving colorectal cancer outcomes through increased screening and appropriate diagnostics. We offer educational information and programs for primary and specialty care physicians to assist them care and educate their patients. We also provide scheduled training to increase PCP capacity to provide commonly-needed procedures in their clinics, such as joint injections and lipoma/benign cyst removals.

Adoption of Electronic Health Records

Contracted by CalHIPSO through the Federal American Recovery Act funding, we assist primary care physicians in smaller practices to adopt, select, and achieve meaningful use of electronic health records. Technical assistance is provided free of charge to CalHIPSO members, and more intensive services can be available at a moderate fee. Providers receive financial incentives by Medicare and MediCaid to achieve meaningful use; our technical assistance can assure full benefits for practices of 10 or fewer primary care practitioners. For more information, contact Rob Yeates, IT Program Manager.

Retired Physicians Society

Physicians no longer actively practicing provide a significant benefit to our community. Our newly re-energized retired physicians group is planning continuing education and CME sessions on current and pressing issues to the medical community, networking opportunities, clinical volunteer options, and social connections. Non-practicing physicians with active medical licenses interested in volunteering clinical services may be covered for malpractice insurance through our partnership with The Doctors Company. For more information, contact Barbara Mandel, Executive Director.

Medical Student Scholarships

Each year, scholarships are awarded to University of California San Diego incoming and graduating medical students whose personal beliefs and community service actions are aligned with the mission of SDCMSF. Scholarship awardees are supported throughout their medical school experience, or during their residency. For more information, contact Barbara Mandel, Executive Director.

Mentorship & Advocacy Training

Providing the next generation of physicians with knowledge of the political side of healthcare is another activity of SDCMSF. Each spring, the Foundation sponsors a trip to Sacramento for UCSD medical students to watch healthcare policymaking in action, and provides opportunities for mentorships with practicing and retired physicians.

eConsultSD Assists Physicians Care for Patients

Many times, a primary care practitioner needs the expertise of a specialty care physician to best diagnose or treat a patient at the community clinic. SDCMS Foundation’s eConsultSD provides physicians a secure and speedy way to communicate patient information, meeting patient care needs and making effective and efficient use of physician resources. “ I really appreciate eConsultSD. Yesterday I attached patient photos to send to the dermatologist and got a great response within a couple days,” says Karin Schiff, MD, Associate Medical Director, Neighborhood Healthcare.

It might take a clinic weeks to schedule a specialty care appointment so in addition to saving time, eConsultSD provides primary care physicians with increased knowledge to treat future patients and expands the capacity of the community clinics. Schiff adds, “with eConsultSD, I usually create a referral for the patient in our EHR and write ‘eConsultSD, see notes’ in the diagnosis/ reason. And then I paste in the specialist’s answer in the notes section so other clinic staff can view the information.” And the knowledge base grows!