Celebrating Two Years of Colorado Medicaid eConsult!
On February 1st, 2024, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) launched the Colorado Medicaid eConsult platform making it the very first state to offer eConsult to all Medicaid beneficiaries. February 2026 marks the two-year anniversary since the Colorado Medicaid eConsult program launched with a simple goal: expand access to specialty care while supporting providers in delivering timely, confident care. This milestone continues to advance the Department’s mission to improve healthcare equity, access, and outcomes for Coloradans.
“Over the past two years, the Colorado Medicaid eConsult Program has become an important tool for strengthening access to specialty input for Health First Colorado members,” said Matthew Lanphier, Program Operations Section Manager at HCPF. “By supporting timely collaboration between primary care and specialty providers, eConsult helps clinicians deliver more informed, coordinated care in their communities while reducing unnecessary barriers to specialty guidance.”
When the program began, eConsult started with 20 adult and 12 pediatric specialties and was being utilized by 11 PCMP practices. Today, the program has grown to support 20 adult and 16 pediatric specialties, with 221 enrolled practices statewide. The program’s growth reflects its value to both providers and members.
In the past two years, 294 unique providers have submitted over 1,400 eConsults, helping over a thousand patients receive faster guidance and reducing unnecessary referrals. This is especially impactful in rural and CEAC (Counties with Extreme Access Consideration) communities, where specialty access is limited, and travel can be a significant barrier. 46 of 95 eligible rural/CEAC PCMP practices have enrolled in eConsult (48%) and 17% of all submitted eConsults have been submitted by those practices. Through eConsult, providers across Colorado are able to deliver specialty-informed care in less than 3 business days, regardless of location.
As the Colorado Medicaid eConsult Program continues to expand, specialists now have the ability to submit eConsults. Entering year three, HCPF remains dedicated to expanding specialty access, collaborating with providers, and focusing on rural health to continue improving access to high-quality care for Health First Colorado members statewide.
Most importantly, providers using the Colorado Medicaid eConsult Program have shared their experiences and overwhelmingly share that this tool has helped them improve care coordination, confirm treatment plans, and better support their patients. We are proud to feature several of these provider testimonials as part of our anniversary celebration.
What Providers are Saying
Referring providers across Colorado continue to share how eConsult has improved access to specialty input and strengthened the care they deliver in their communities.
“I received a very thorough answer fast.”
– Michele Pennington, MD from Pueblo Community Health Center
“The use of this invaluable resource undoubtedly increases the rate of access to specialty care saving healthcare time and dollars while simultaneously increasing the quality of care delivered. We love Colorado Medicaid’s new eConsult platform because it helps us help
our patients.”
– Leslie Dawdy, FNP from Peak Family Practice
“The Colorado Medicaid eConsult platform has been an enormous benefit to our practice! In my experience, many Medicaid patients have to wait several months to see a specialist, but with eConsult, we are able to get started with workup and intervention for the patient during their wait period, which improves the quality of patient care.”
– Hai Bui, MD from Lakewood Medical Center
“This is amazing! I appreciate the expert advice and recommendations. My patients are better served because of this service and the expert advice from other disciplines.”
– Jennie Barker, FNP-C from Gorman Medical
“When using eConsult, it has helped me in being able to improve patient care by not having my patients have to wait to get seen by a specialist. As an FNP, I would highly recommend the eConsult platform, it is easy to use and very beneficial for the patients.”
– Patricia Donegan, FNP-C from Castillo Primary Care
Fun Fact
Although specialists (reviewers) have up to three business days to respond, the average response time is just 0.27 days. That’s less than 7 hours.
More than 90% of eConsults are closed with guidance that allows the referring provider to manage care without a specialist visit.
Top specialties accessed include:
Adult Specialties:
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Pediatric Specialties:
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Still Need More Info?
If you want to learn more about the program and how you can participate, register for our Monthly Program Overview Webinar on February 10th from 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM MTN.
Check out our updated Colorado Medicaid eConsult Program Informational Site HERE for more information. The Info Site can be a great resource to educate your patients who want to learn more about eConsult. It also provides up-to-date information about the program, available Specialties, and explains how to enroll. Please reach out to Coloradosupport@safetynetconnect.com with any questions.