How do I request specialty advice?
Please use the secure form on our website to submit your request.
When will I get a call back?
Many calls are returned the same day; however, specialists have up to two business days to respond (within existing program hours).
When we call you, we will already have the specialist on the phone, waiting to connect. We will call you up to three times while the specialist is on the call.
It is imperative that you leave us a reliable number to contact you (usually a cell phone). We advise against leaving your clinic number as your primary number as this often results in delays getting you connected with the specialist. Unanswered requests are closed after two business days.
What happens if I miss a call?
If you do not pick up your phone while the specialist is holding to connect, we will call you back two more times within a few minutes. After that, we’ll leave a phone number for you to call us back. If we don’t hear from you within two business days, the request will be closed and you will need to submit a new advice request form.
What can I ask the specialist?
Calls should be for routine, non-urgent patient advice. You can ask about medications, next steps in treatment, imaging, resources available or discuss if a referral is needed, etc. Urgent or emergent cases should still go through RAAPID-North.
Will I receive anything after the call?
All calls are recorded to enable us to create a one-page summary to send to you afterwards. There is no need for you to take notes during the call unless you want to. You can scan this summary into your EMR and use the fee-for-service billing code we provide. All billing codes have been confirmed with Primary and Preventative Health Services (formerly known as Alberta Health).
What are the fee-for-service billing codes?
For calls between 0900 – 1700: 03.01LG
For calls between 1700 – 1800: 03.01LH
Note – these codes are also applicable to Nurse Practitioners.
How will my and my patient’s information be protected?
Your contact information will not be distributed to any ConnectMD specialist and vice versa. All patient information is stored electronically at the Edmonton North PCN using existing security measures and only accessible by the staff working directly with the program. A Privacy Impact Assessment for this program has been approved by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Where are the specialists located?
The majority of specialists taking calls through ConnectMD are located in the Edmonton Zone. There are some who are outside of the zone, elsewhere in the province.
How is this different from RAAPID?
ConnectMD is for routine, low-acuity advice that does not need to be provided on-the-spot. The specialist has up to two business days to connect with you.
How is this different from eReferral Advice Request?
ConnectMD facilitates synchronous advice whereas eReferral is asynchronous (electronic). ConnectMD allows for a real-time conversation that takes, on average, six minutes or less.
I still have questions. How do I get in touch?
Please use the Contact Us page.
How is ConnectMD different from RAAPID?
ConnectMD is for routine, low-acuity advice that does not need to be provided on the spot. You have up to two business days to call us back to be connected with the primary care provider.
How is ConnectMD different from eReferral Advice Request?
ConnectMD facilitates synchronous advice whereas eReferral is asynchronous (electronic). ConnectMD allows for a real-time conversation that takes, on average, six minutes or less.
My group already has a phone number set up that primary care providers can call if they have questions.
If you already have something in place, we can easily coordinate our service with yours, so that primary care providers only have to contact one source for all specialty groups.
Can the provider ask to talk to me to expedite a referral or procedure?
No. ConnectMD calls are for advice only. If the patient needs to be referred, the primary care provider is to follow their normal referral process.
Will I receive any documentation after the call?
Yes. ConnectMD will send you a one-page transcribed summary, which is faxed back to your office within 1-2 business days for record-keeping (including ConnectCare upload) and billing purposes. There is no need for you to take notes during the call unless you want to.
What are the fee-for-service billing codes?
For calls between 0900 – 1700: 03.01LJ
For calls between 1700 – 1800: 03.01LK
The transcribed summary includes this information for your convenience.
How long am I “on-call” for?
We rely on each specialty group to send us a rotation schedule that works best for them.
What happens if the primary care provider misses my call?
When you respond to an advice request, we will phone the primary care provider to connect the call. If they don’t answer, we will call two more times within a few minutes. After that, the provider has two business days to call us back, and we’ll reconnect with you or the next specialist on the rotation. If a primary care provider does not answer the callback after two days, the advice request is closed.
I still have questions. How do I get in touch?
Please use the Contact Us page.