The Project ECHO approach to leveraging the primary care workforce in rural and other medically underserved areas was developed in 2003 by Sanjeev Arora, M.D., a University of New Mexico gastroenterologist who wanted to find a way to bring his expertise to the thousands of hepatitis C patients around the state who couldn’t make it to Albuquerque to see him. His solution was to offer regular videoconferences during which a team of interdisciplinary experts offers training and advice to primary care providers in managing complex cases.
A 2011 study found the approach worked: primary care physicians provided hepatitis C care that was as safe and effective as that provided by specialists, and within two years, the number of clinics treating the disease increased more than tenfold. Since 2003, Arora and his colleagues have expanded the number of conditions for their teleECHO clinics. They have also taught many others to use their approach: today there are ECHO-style training hubs in more than 70 universities, health systems, and government agencies around the world. For example, the Department of Defense uses the approach so that its specialists can support clinicians working with soldiers suffering from chronic pain on aircraft carriers and overseas bases. University of Chicago experts use the ECHO model to train clinicians working in community health centers on the South Side of Chicago to treat conditions like persistent hypertension.
