People living in rural areas often lack access to high-quality, cost-effective specialty health care for chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, hepatitis, HIV, and behavioral health needs. With well-documented specialist shortages in rural communities, there are opportunities to leverage existing, trusted primary care resources to meet a broader array of rural health needs.
Project ECHO expands access to specialty care in underserved areas by virtually connecting community-based primary care teams with specialists — often located in academic medical centers or larger health systems — reducing reliance on specialist referrals that require long-distance travel and lengthy wait times. By adopting Project ECHO’s globally recognized, evidence-based model, states can use limited health care resources more effectively, achieve better outcomes, and support patient care preferences.
This Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) webinar will provide an overview of the ECHO model and how it supports care for patients with chronic and complex conditions. It will highlight how the model is being used to increase workforce capacity in rural areas and how states can leverage ECHO to advance their Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) plans.
State rural health officers, Medicaid officials, rural health care providers and health systems, and other interested stakeholders are invited to join the 60-minute event. The webinar is made possible through support from the ECHO Institute at the University of New Mexico.
Agenda
I. Welcome and Introduction
Speaker: Greg Howe, Senior Fellow, CHCS
II. The ECHO Model: Building Workforce Capacity in Rural Areas
Speaker: Leah Willis, Chief of Staff, ECHO Institute, University of New Mexico
L. Willis will provide an overview of how the ECHO model disseminates knowledge and expertise, builds communities of practice, and expands access to quality health care.
III. Oregon ECHO Network: Using the ECHO Model to Support State Rural Health Transformation Goals
Speaker: Maggie McLain McDonnell, Director, Oregon ECHO Network, Oregon Rural Practice-Based Research Network
M. McLain McDonnell will describe how the Oregon ECHO Network is improving the health of rural Oregonians by strengthening knowledge exchange between communities and clinicians, and will outline its partnership with the state to advance Oregon’s RHTP goals.
IV. Transforming Diabetes Care Through Primary Care Workforce Education, Capacity Building, and Quality Improvement
Speaker: Nicolas Cuttriss, MD, pediatric endocrinologist, CEO, ECHO Diabetes Action Network
Dr. Cuttriss will share examples of how ECHO has strengthened frontline primary care capacity, extended specialty expertise into rural and medically underserved communities, and improved outcomes for individuals living with diabetes and related conditions. He will draw on his experience providing care in Alaska and New Mexico.
VI. Moderated Q&A
Moderator: Greg Howe, CHCS
