University of Missouri School of Medicine’s Missouri Telehealth Network to Launch COVID-19 ECHO

As concerns over the spread the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to grow throughout the state, University of Missouri School of Medicine’s Missouri Telehealth Network is set to host a weekly COVID-19 ECHO through the Show-Me ECHO platform.

In an effort to promote open communication and awareness surrounding management of COVID-19 cases, the program will be held weekly via online video conferencing and will provide up-to-date information and support for health care stakeholders in Missouri.

“We are looking forward to hosting this COVID-19 ECHO program,” Missouri Telehealth Network Senior Medical Director Karen Edison, MD, said. “It will benefit patients throughout the state by providing access to the latest evidence and best practices for identifying and treating patients who present with symptoms of COVID-19 or who test positive for the virus. This Show-Me ECHO program will also benefit hospitals and clinics as they work to prepare for more such cases. Ongoing tele-mentoring for clinicians in urban and rural Missouri will give us our best chance to work together to limit the spread of this virus and save lives.”

The ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) will feature the expertise of a multidisciplinary team, led by Department of Health and Senior Services Director, Randall Williams, MD, and facilitated by the Missouri Hospital Association’s Vice President of Clinical Quality Improvement, Alison Williams, MBA-HCM, RN, BSN, and Director of Clinical Quality, Jessica Stultz, MHA, BSN, RN. MU Health Care’s Hariharan Regunath, MD, Christelle Ilboudo, MD, Matthew Robinson, MD, and Jonathan Heidt, MD, will also participate in the ECHO program alongside representatives from St. Luke’s Health System, Washington University, St. Louis, CoxHealth and Missouri Ozarks Community Health.

The program is open to health care providers in the state of Missouri and will meet for one hour via video conferencing, every Monday beginning on March 23.

Show-Me ECHO is a state-funded telehealth project operated by the Missouri Telehealth Network at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. The project helps improve care throughout the state by equipping providers from different areas with the information they need to keep patient care local. Using videoconferencing technology to connect a team of interdisciplinary experts with primary care providers, the discussions with, and mentoring from specialists helps providers gain the tools they need to treat patients in their hometowns. It’s a collaborative effort that will soon be made even better with the NextGen Precision Health Institute. Designed to make care as personalized and effective as possible, research performed at the institute will factor in a patient genetics, lifestyle and environment so that local providers will not only have help diagnosing conditions, but will also be equipped with treatments uniquely designed for patients in their specific communities.

Show-Me ECHO began in 2015 and was created using a process developed by the University of New Mexico to educate and train participating providers in specific disease states or conditions.