title: Taking Telemedicine to the Next Level in Diabetes Population Management: a Review of the Endo ECHO Model.
abstract: Worldwide increases in diabetes prevalence in the face of limited medical resources have prompted international interest in innovative healthcare delivery models. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a "telementoring" program which has been shown to increase capacity for complex disease management in medically underserved regions. In contrast to a traditional telemedicine model which might connect a specialist with one patient, the ECHO model allows for multiple patients to benefit simultaneously by building new expertise. We recently applied the ECHO model to improve health outcomes of patients with complex diabetes (Endo ECHO) living in rural New Mexico. We describe the design of the Endo ECHO intervention and a 4-year, prospective program evaluation assessing health outcomes, utilization patterns, and cost-effectiveness. The Endo ECHO evaluation will demonstrate whether and to what extent this intervention improves outcomes for patients with complex diabetes living in rural New Mexico, and will serve as proof-of-concept for academic medical centers wishing to replicate the model in underserved regions around the world.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA. mbouchonville@salud.unm.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bouchonville
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Wagner School of Public Service, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Billings
authors.affiliation: University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kirk
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arora
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003153:Community Health Services; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009516:New Mexico; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017216:Telemedicine
keywords: Endo ECHO; Health care disparities; Project ECHO; Telemedicine