Wait Times, E-Referrals and Putting Service in Front of Health Tech, with Dr. Ilan Shahin, Co-Founder of ConsultLoop

In this episode we spoke with Dr. Ilan Shahin, a practicing
physician-entrepreneur who has co-founded ConsultLoop, a health
service navigation software that helps providers better track and
manage patient referrals. One of the care problems that
ConsultLoop is addressing is the lack of standardization in the
traditional, paper or fax-based referral process that often
results in patients falling through the cracks (still very much
an issue day). A significant chunk of referrals are lost, and
those missed appointments, in some cases, lead to inadvertent
harm. The booking process is also very tedious for patients and
providers alike. ConsultLoop address inefficiencies in the
referral process, but also aims to provider better access and
better service to patients and providers. Since its inception in
2016 the company has built a directory of over 5000 specialists
and services primarily across the greater Toronto area, and has
facilitated well over 25,000 referrals. The software works
alongside existing electronic medical record platforms, and was
designed with easy functionality in mind so that it doesn’t
disrupt clinical workflows. The company is also expanding the
platform to offer more integrated features for patients to
navigate healthcare services they need, and to engage with the
service when they have questions. We also spoke about the broader
implications of wait times on the healthcare system, current
models of healthcare delivery, and the importance of integrating
high-quality services into new healthcare technologies so they
can be adopted more readily. Ilan was a pleasure to speak with as
he offered his personal insights as a practicing family and
emergency doctor. I look forward to seeing the company grow to
provide greater access to more patients across Canada.


If you would like to learn more about ConsultLoop and its
healthcare solutions please visit www.consultloop.com or follow
them on Twitter at @ConsultLoop . You can also reach Ilan on
Twitter @IlanShahin or by email at hello@consultloop.com .
They’ve recently published an interesting report on wait times
using data from their platform, “The ConsultLoop Wait Time
Report: Data Shines its Light” (November 2018).