Curbsides. What was once considered a professional courtesy is now a billable, interprofessional service. For those that consider curbsides to be storefront fast-food pickup, we’re talking about interprofessional consultations (IPCs) between qualified healthcare professionals (QHPs) (a double cheeseburger and milkshake does sound good, though). A curbside occurs when one healthcare professional asks another healthcare professional a question regarding patient care. These traditionally informal consultations occur in the hallways of hospitals and clinics or as phone calls between providers. Curbsides often informally connect a patient’s care team members; they are crucial for optimized diagnoses and treatment.
However, the current curbside flow is inefficient, interruptive, and uncompensated. Referring providers must play phone tag to get the attention of consulting specialists. Consulting specialists often receive questions about patient care. There is no documentation of the curbside process, and QHPs in different clinical settings and under different EHRs cannot efficiently communicate with one another or share relevant clinical information. Furthermore, specialists go uncompensated for their time and expertise.
It’s 2025. Inefficient curbsides are not only unacceptable but also preventable. With DocSide, consulting specialists receive:
1) Documentation of their Assessment and Recommendations as Medical Notes and
2) Charge Sheets for reimbursement from insurance payors.
Since 2019 the the vast majority of curbside consultations have been reimbursable by Medicare and private insurers. In fact, the average written-only curbside is worth 0.7 wRVUs–that’s equivalent to a level two follow-up office visit.
So, how much can a QHP be compensated for completing a curbside? Well, the price is determined by the patient’s insurance. Medicare Part B currently reimburses written curbsides at $32.99. Private insurance payors compensate a wide range, often from $80 to $120 or more, depending on the payor and region.
Keep in mind that 87% of e-consults (digital curbsides) are completed in less than 10 minutes, and specialists receive an average of 3.6 curbside requests per week. Let’s conservatively assume a provider receives an average of 14 curbsides per -month with a 75/25 private/public payor mix and an average reimbursement of $83.25 per curbside. Given that the average curbside takes 15 minutes, that’s 42 hours of work per year that is not reimbursed. How much uncaptured revenue is that? $13,985.58. With DocSide, a consulting specialist would currently gain $13,067.09 in annual Gross Profit ($311.12 in Profit/Hour) for work he or she is already doing. That’s a lot of double cheeseburgers and milkshakes. Best of all, that’s a 93.4% Gross Profit Margin for consulting specialists on DocSide. Join the DocSide now! Stop giving away your expertise for free. Get compensated for work you’re already doing. See you on the DocSide!
