Project ECHO: A Tele-Mentoring Movement Transforming Healthcare

What is Project ECHO?

Among the many challenges Kentuckians face in rural and underserved communities is healthcare access. This is especially true for older adults. In these communities, it can be difficult for individuals to find providers close to them who are educated in the complexities of caring for older adults. In 2018, the UofL Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging began using a new technology and training model, called Project ECHO®, to address this issue head-on.

Project Echo® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a tele-mentoring movement dedicated to sharing knowledge and amplifying the capacity of health care professionals to provide best practice care for underserved people all over the world. Recognizing a need for increased specialists, particularly in rural communities, Project ECHO utilizes the teleconferencing platform Zoom to create hub-and-spoke knowledge sharing networks around the world. By creating communities of learning Project ECHO improves treatment by moving information instead of people.

Project ECHO was launched in 2003, at the University of New Mexico, by Sanjeev Arora, M.D., to teach physicians in rural New Mexico specialized hepatitis C treatment. Today, there are more than 220 Project ECHO hubs, in 31 countries, treating more than 100 diseases and conditions. In order to improve the health and wellbeing of older adults, we launched in 2018 a Project ECHO focusing on the care of older adults.

 Resources and Publications

• Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions: Project ECHO: A Telementoring Network Model for Continuing Professional Development
• Population Health Management: Telementoring Primary Care Clinicians to Improve Geriatric Mental Health Care

 What does our “Project ECHO: Care of Older Adults” Address?

Project ECHO: Care of Older Adults is a growing community of health care providers and community stakeholders dedicated to best practices in the care of older adults. Each session (on the 1^st and 3^rd Friday, 12:00-1:00 pm EST) includes an educational didactic (topics found in the schedule below),  case presentation, and discussion to address the following needs:

1.  Providing patient-/family-centered care;
2.  Improving chronic health conditions;
3.  Providing effective behavioral health interventions;
4.  Improving treatment and care of those with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias; and
5.  Increasing interprofessional collaborative care. 

Spring 2019 Didactic Schedule additional palliative care and hospice sessions coming soon)

How to Join:

The Project ECHO approach is building a community to learn how to better treat and improve the quality of life for older adults in Kentucky. It will give you increased knowledge and continuing education credits (coming soon!) in the convenience of your office.  To learn more and join us please contact the Project ECHO Coordinator, Justin Magnuson, by email [email protected] or phone at 502-852-5629. Not only will your participation make a difference in your practice and in the lives of the older adults, it will be great fun. 

Justin Magnuson
iCCOA & Project ECHO Coordinator
University of Louisville
Institute for Sustainable Health & Optimal Aging
[email protected]