NEOMED Named Project Echo Superhub

Since 2017, NEOMED’s Department of Psychiatry has offered consultation, training and clinical mentorship as a hub for the national Project ECHO^® model. Read on to learn how NEOMED’s implementation of this model has already served hundreds of participants across the nation – and how it plans to grow as a resource in workforce development, now that NEOMED has been named a Project ECHO Superhub.

The model

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) was created to expand health care access to people in underserved communities around the world by enhancing the skills of primary care physicians and other providers. It began at the ECHO Institute at the University of New Mexico and is now used globally to create learning communities.

How it works

Videoconferencing technology connects clinicians and health professionals with teams of multidisciplinary and interprofessional experts from NEOMED and partner institutions. The ECHO hub begins each session with an educational presentation of 15 minutes or less, followed by a case presentation from a participant. Next, the facilitator asks all attendees for questions, followed by their recommendations and impressions. To conclude, the facilitator summarizes the group’s discussion and develops a set of recommendations. In this way, the experts disseminate the specialized knowledge and best practices that are needed to care for patients with complex conditions.

Extending impact

In just two years, NEOMED’s ECHO programs have already served 501 participants, coming from 42 of the 88 counties in Ohio and from 13 of the 50 states.

NEOMED has proven so successful at using the ECHO model that it has been approved to be a Project ECHO^® Superhub— the 15th worldwide and the first in Ohio. Being named a Superhub allows NEOMED to spread important knowledge even further, establishing new Project ECHO hubs and leveraging the capabilities of other regional partners to address complex conditions.

Laura Barr, M.D., commented, “I am a regular participant in the Integrated Care at NEOMED (IC@N) TeleECHO weekly sessions. Having recently integrated a small primary care practice into an existing counseling facility that serves the Amish, this community has been a great resource to me.

“I have learned a lot from the didactic presentations, received great feedback on questions and cases I have presented, and appreciate the multi-disciplinary learning community that it provides. Practicing in a rural setting makes such connections harder to make, and Project ECHO provides a great opportunity to reduce professional isolation.”

Programs at NEOMED

Today, six Project ECHO programs are operated at NEOMED:

• Integrated Care at NEOMED (IC@N)
• SZconsult — for medical professionals who care for people affected by schizophrenia-spectrum disorders
• First Episode Psychosis — coordinated specialty care for first episode psychosis
• Ohio Opiate Mentorship TeleECHO
• Ohio Opiate Continuing Education TeleECHO
• Ohio Systems of Care TeleECHO

 

Superhub status

Superhubs like NEOMED are empowered to:

• Provide outreach and education for hubs
• Recruit and engage potential hubs
• Train prospective replication hub partner teams
• Provide access to all ECHO resources and tools
• Authorize prospective replication partners
• Mentor other organizations in implementing the culture and principles of the ECHO movement

 

“NEOMED strives to be a leader in workforce development, the delivery of quality healthcare and the education of health care professionals to meet the needs of communities and populations, both diverse and underserved.  Superhub designation furthers our opportunity and ability to meet those goals,” said Elisabeth Young, M.D., vice president for Health Affairs and dean of the College of Medicine.

More information

Learn more about Project ECHO programs at NEOMED

Contact us at neoecho@neomed.edu.