Dear Colleagues,
At the University of Missouri, we are dedicated to improving the health of people across our state. For the past 10 years, we have been bringing support and resources to providers in rural and underserved counties through our Show-Me ECHO program.
ECHO, which stands for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcome, uses videoconferencing technology to connect a team of interdisciplinary experts with primary care providers. Through discussions and mentoring, our specialists help equip providers to give their patients the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
How it started
In 2013, a team from the MU School of Medicine — including Rachel Mutrux, senior program director, and Karen Edison, MD, professor emerita — joined a delegation of legislators to travel to the University of New Mexico to learn about a novel model of knowledge-sharing for health care professionals called Project ECHO. Not long after, and with bipartisan legislative support, our Missouri Telehealth Network launched Show-Me ECHO in 2014 with the goal of connecting clinicians across the state with a multidisciplinary team of specialists to improve health care for our citizens.
A key tenet of ECHO is “moving knowledge, not patients.” ECHOs bring together diverse perspectives to provide a team approach to problem solving. Participants talk through challenging cases, offer recommendations and feedback, and provide support. With intentionally interdisciplinary hub teams, ECHOs bring together diverse perspectives to approach challenges holistically and address local issues in context.
How it’s going
To say we have come a long way in a decade is an understatement.
- When we first launched Show-Me ECHO, we offered training on two topics: autism and pain management. Now, we offer programs on more than 40 topics. These address timely and high-impact health concerns that are affecting our state, such as opioid use disorder, mental health, and vaping and nicotine.
- Show-Me ECHO truly has improved lives across our state, with 100% of Missouri counties benefiting from the knowledge sharing that we provide. We have provided training and support to more than 11,000 clinicians and learners.
- Most of these learners are from Missouri, though we have provided support to learners in 49 other states and 43 countries. These learners represent more than 3,400 organizations, such as hospitals, clinics and rural practices.
- The training they receive is making a difference — 97% of learners say they are making changes to their practice based on participation in the program.
- In 2023, 497 cases were discussed across all ECHOs, and 99% of these cases were from parts of our state classified as “health professions shortage areas.”
- During the last decade, Missouri Telehealth Network faculty, staff and students have published 35 peer-reviewed articles on Show-Me ECHO, such as this article in Missouri Medicine, as well as numerous peer-reviewed and invited presentations.
Show-Me ECHO has become one of the largest statewide ECHO programs in the country and is a globally recognized leader. In September, the Missouri Telehealth Network won a Global ECHO Excellence Award at the MetaECHO Global Conference. The award reflects the depth and breadth of programming, focus on outcomes, and success in improving the lives of patients and clinicians.
I am proud of our team for bridging the gap in health care access and quality in our state. Thank you for 10 years of improving the health of all Missourians and empowering physicians throughout our state!
Sincerely,
Rick Barohn, MD
Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Hugh E. and Sarah D. Stephenson Dean, School of Medicine
rbarohn@health.missouri.edu
