Table 5.
Details Provided on Consultation Letters among patients Seen by 146 Rheumatologists and Timeliness of Return to PCPs, %
| Provisional diagnosis/clinical impression | General follow-up | Provider responsible for follow-up | Instructions that were given to patients | Allied healthcare providers involved in care | Consultation Letter Returned within 1 month | Consultation Letter Returned within 3 months | Consultation Letter Returned within 1 year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 93.1 | 91.5 | 84.0 | 52.2 | 17.3 | 68.8 | 78.9 | 83.1 |
| Systemic Inflammatory Conditions | 95.0 | 93.4 | 90.5 | 56.9 | 10.2 | 69.2 | 81.0 | 87.4 |
| Osteoarthritis | 93.5 | 91.7 | 79.9 | 51.3 | 24.6 | 71.0 | 79.0 | 80.9 |
| Regional MSK syndromes | 93.4 | 91.5 | 83.3 | 50.2 | 22.0 | 69.4 | 65.6 | 83.3 |
| Chronic pain conditions | 86.5 | 84.9 | 77.1 | 48.2 | 18.4 | 59.4 | 72.3 | 77.9 |
| Osteoporosis/osteopenia | 97.0 | 100.0 | 87.9 | 60.6 | NR | 75.0 | 82.1 | 82.1 |
| Other/miscellaneousa | 92.0 | 90.7 | 86.7 | 37.3 | NR | 74.4 | 82.9 | 82.9 |
Values are the percentage
NR Not reported due to small cell size
aMiscellaneous referrals such as abnormal tests