Queensland eConsultant Service.

Mater Health’s Queensland eConsultant Service provides general practitioners across the state with rapid access to hospital specialists, helping patients receive timely advice and treatment while reducing unnecessary hospital visits. Delivered through Consultmed’s Advice & Guidance™ platform, the service covers more than ten medical and surgical specialties including endocrinology, cardiology, dermatology, nephrology, haematology, respiratory and sleep medicine, neurology, obstetric medicine, and immunology and allergy.

Research Foundation

The eConsultant service was established on the foundation of research led by the University of Queensland–Mater Research Institute (UQ-MRI) Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, in collaboration with the Mater Adults Hospital Brisbane. This work demonstrated the value of an asynchronous, secure “request for advice” model that formally linked GPs with hospital specialists.

The research showed that this approach provided an efficient, auditable method of communication, reduced wait times for specialist input, avoided unnecessary hospital visits, and delivered safety and quality benefits compared with informal phone consultations. Trials across rural, remote, and urban Queensland practices confirmed a mean response time of 1.5 days, supporting patients with complex comorbidities and consistently meeting outpatient criteria.

Implementation

Consultmed delivered the statewide Queensland eConsultant Service in just three months, going live on 1 September 2025. The program began with an implementation planning study that mapped referral pathways, identified user requirements, and co-designed solutions with clinicians to ensure alignment with both clinical needs and system priorities.

Key deliverables included the design and build of customised Advice & Guidance forms across ten specialist areas, developed with input from hospital specialists and GPs. These forms were branded to meet Mater Health and Queensland Government requirements, creating a consistent and trusted user experience.

The platform was integrated with major GP systems such as Best Practice and Medical Director, with secure portal access available for other practice software. Training and onboarding sessions supported both GP users and specialist teams, while extensive User Acceptance Testing (UAT) ensured data integrity and usability ahead of rollout.

Deployed in a secure, cloud-based environment, the system was implemented in close collaboration with the research team at the UQ-MRI Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, ensuring the service reflected the evidence base and could be successfully embedded statewide.

Early Impact

The results to date are compelling:

• Average specialist response time of 1.7–1.8 days
• 77–82% of requests avoid the need for a face-to-face outpatient appointment
• 66% of requests result in a change to patient care

These outcomes allow patients to be managed closer to home, reduce unnecessary travel, and ease pressure on outpatient clinics. They also strengthen collaboration between primary care providers and hospital specialists.

Lessons Learned

Implementation of the eConsultant service in Queensland highlights several important lessons for health systems:

• Evidence matters: Building on robust clinical research provided the confidence and framework for rapid statewide adoption.
• Support for complex care: Many patients using the service have multiple comorbidities, reflecting the increasing complexity of general practice and the need for timely specialist input.
• Workforce benefits: The model supports flexibility and variety for hospital specialists, offering an alternative to traditional outpatient work.
• Digital readiness is key: Successful uptake was influenced by practice leadership, digital capability, workflow integration, and system readiness.
• Resilience in challenging contexts: External factors such as COVID-19 underscored the value of secure, asynchronous models of care that reduce in-person demand.

Conclusion

The Queensland eConsultant Service demonstrates the power of combining clinical evidence with digital innovation. By embedding Consultmed’s Advice & Guidance™ platform into GP workflows and working in close collaboration with the UQ-MRI Centre for Health System Reform and Integration, the service has created a scalable model that improves access, strengthens integration across care settings, and delivers tangible benefits for patients, clinicians, and the wider health system.

To learn more about the Queensland eConsultant program, visit: https://www.mater.org.au/health-services/health-professionals/mater-econsultant