Program Information

The Advanced Primary Care ECHO meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month from 3-4pm ET / 12-1pm PT.

The Weitzman ECHO Advanced Primary Care connects rural primary care medical and behavioral health providers nationally with a multidisciplinary team of experts and specialists, using twice-monthly videoconferencing sessions, to improve quality of care and clinical outcomes for rural and underserved patients. The Advanced Primary Care ECHO is designed to engage participating providers in a dynamic, interactive learning community while placing an emphasis on collaboration between medical and behavioral health providers to lessen variation in care.

Two 10-session modules on adult psychiatry and substance use disorders will be included in the Advanced Primary Care ECHO program's curriculum for this year. Each session, faculty members give succinct didactic presentations on pertinent subjects, after which they offer practical guidance to participants' complex patient cases via case discussions. The didactic presentations in the first module cover high-value topics including psychiatric medication management, suicidality, anxiety, PTSD, and mood disorders. These didactic presentations and case discussions develop and strengthen participating providers' clinical competencies and confidence with complex patient cases. 

Acknowledgement of Support

Weitzman Institute is pleased to announce that this ECHO is being offered as part of the HRSA Telehealth Technology-Enabled Learning Program (TTELP) in order to improve rural health outcomes.

This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $457,298 with 100% funded by HRSA/HHS and 0% funded by nongovernment source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.

Target Audience

This activity is appropriate for the following audiences:

• Primary care medical providers (MD, DO, NP, PA)
• Behavioral health providers
• Care team members

Adult Psychiatry Module Learning Objectives

Related to psychiatric care in a primary care setting, by the end of the first 10-session module, participants will be able to:

• Integrate screening and symptom-monitoring instruments to determine appropriate first-line treatments for common psychiatric conditions.
• Assess patients’ levels of care, stratifying based on diagnostic criteria, and determine when a referral to a higher level of care is necessary.
• Improve the use of suicidality risk assessments and the management of psychiatric crises.
• Better facilitate and improve medication management, behavioral approaches, and other therapies for common psychiatric conditions.
• Utilize different members of the care team more effectively in order to promote integrated care.
• Identify services to address social determinants of health to improve health outcomes.

FAQs

What is Project ECHO®? Project ECHO® was developed by Sanjeev Arora, MD, at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and is a collaborative model of medical education and care management that helps improve clinicians' knowledge and skills to improve patient care. ECHOs are designed to be a longer term continuing education programs to create a virtual community for providers and care team members to connect and learn from leading experts and receive guidance from peers and experts. This ECHO learning community provides mentorship and peer support which make this model unique and provide long-lasting impact beyond typical e-learning styles. Weitzman ECHO clinics are specifically designed to meet the needs of safety net primary care providers and their communities like providers practicing in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs). 

How is each ECHO session structured? Each ECHO session consists of a didactic presentation by the ECHO's expert faculty and real patient case discussion presented by participating providers. During each ECHO session, participants learn skills and receive clinical pearls from the expert faculty didactic presentation and the case discussion and recommendations.

How much does it cost to participate? Enrollment is now open at no cost for the next curriculum year.

Who should participate? Primary care medical providers, behavioral health providers, nurses, or other members of the care team are welcome to join and register, with special priority given to providers from rural settings.

When do sessions occur? This Project ECHO will occur twice monthly for one hour. Our kickoff session will occur on November 17, 2022, and sessions will occur every 1st and 3rd Thursday from 3-4pm ET / 12-1pm PT.

What level of participation is expected? Advanced Primary Care ECHO consists of two, 10-session modules. Each module, ECHO participants are expected to:

• Attend at least 75% of sessions
• Complete pre- and post-surveys
• Submit at least one case for recommendations
• Share webcams, when available
• Engage during peer case discussion

How do I join the live sessions? Do I need any special equipment? Weitzman ECHO sessions are held virtually using the Weitzman Education Platform and Zoom Video Conferencing. Access is available on any computer with an internet connection. For instruction on how to how to join the live session, follow these Step-by-step instructions: Entering a Live Session.

How do I claim credit and download my CE/CME certificate? After the live session is completed, the session evaluation will be available right in the platform. Once you complete the session evaluation, you will be able to claim your credits and download your certificate.

How do I sign up? Register now by clicking on the "Register" tab at the top right of this page. After you complete registration, we will follow up with onboarding materials so you can join the program. If you have any questions regarding registration or the ECHO program, please contact Anthony DiMartino, Education Specialist, at dimarta@chc1.com.