Documenting curbside consultations can improve patient safety
Implementing a hospitalwide program for documenting informal clinician consultations improved patient safety through better communication and multidisciplinary care in a pediatric health care system, according to a recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
A recent study published in JAMA Pediatrics has shown that implementing a hospital-wide program to document and bill informal clinician consultations can improve patient safety by enhancing communication and multidisciplinary care. Curbside consultations, where physicians seek medical advice from colleagues, are common in the U.S. healthcare system.
However, these interactions can sometimes lead to communication issues due to poor information exchange and lack of compensation for time spent. In 2019, the American Medical Association introduced new Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes allowing reimbursement for advice given by healthcare professionals not in direct patient contact.
The study, led by Dr. Caitlin Li, aimed to establish the use of these billing codes to motivate providers to document recommendations from curbside consultations. Between March and July 2025, the program was implemented across Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Baseline data showed an average of 0.9 interprofessional consultations per week, which increased to over 40 consultations per week after interventions.
The consultations took place in various settings, including acute care, emergency department, pediatric intensive care unit, outpatient settings, and others. The top consultation users by specialty were infectious diseases, pulmonology, wound care, and endocrinology. Dr. Li believes that leveraging existing CPT codes to document these consultations will improve patient safety and can be implemented across different healthcare systems.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
