Why Every Colorado Provider Should Be Using eConsults
Jun 2, 2026Specialty care access remains one of the biggest challenges facing patients and providers across Colorado. Long wait times, geographic barriers, workforce shortages and administrative burdens can delay care and increase costs. eConsults offer a practical solution that is currently improving patient care across the state.
eConsults (electronic consultations between primary care and specialty providers) allow clinicians to exchange clinical guidance asynchronously through secure platforms. Rather than waiting weeks or months for a traditional referral appointment, primary care providers can often receive specialist recommendations within days, helping patients get the right care faster and more efficiently.
Improving Access, Efficiency and Coordination
eConsults help patients receive timely specialty input while allowing many concerns to be managed directly in primary care. This improves continuity of care, reduces unnecessary specialist visits, and helps preserve specialty appointments for patients who truly need an in-person evaluation.
For providers, eConsults can:
- Reduce care delays
- Improve communication between primary and specialty care
- Support collaborative care planning
- Decrease unnecessary travel for patients, particularly in rural communities
- Enhance provider education through specialist feedback
- Improve patient satisfaction and outcomes
Colorado Has Multiple Options Available
One of the strengths of Colorado’s eConsults ecosystem is the availability of both open- and closed-access platforms that serve different provider organizations, health systems and patient populations.
Open-access platforms available in Colorado include the following (available on a limited basis):
| Platforms | Availability |
| Colorado Medicaid eConsult | Members participating in Health First Colorado (CO Medicaid) |
| Colorado Specialty CareConnect | Members Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RAE1) CO State Medicaid (Western Slope and parts of Southern CO) |
| University of Colorado – Community eConsults | Not restricted by insurance status. Adult patients only. Limited availability to join network, Safety-net clinics are prioritized. |
| Children’s Hospital Colorado | Pediatric patients. Not restricted by insurance status. Not available to UCH, Denver Health and Kaiser patients at this time |
These platforms support varying payer arrangements and integration capabilities, including Single Sign-On (SSO), EHR integration and Health Information Exchange connectivity.
Colorado also has several closed-access eConsults systems embedded within health systems and EHR environments, including:
- Kaiser Permanente Safety Net Specialty Care eConsult
- Kaiser Permanente Colorado
- University of Colorado - Epic
- Denver Health - Epic
- Intermountain Health - Epic
A Statewide Opportunity
The Care Collaborative’s goal is to increase awareness, adoption and utilization of all eConsults across platforms and Colorado. As more providers engage with these platforms, we create a more connected, equitable and efficient specialty care system. Whether through an open-access platform or a health-system-integrated solution, eConsults can help providers deliver faster answers, better coordinated care and improved patient experiences and outcomes.
For Colorado providers, our message is simple: if you are not using eConsults today, you should be exploring how to incorporate them into your workflow.
To learn more about the available eConsults platforms in Colorado visit our website.