Sanjeev Arora, a hepatoligist, professor of medicine, and director of project ECHO at the University of New Mexico realized there is an abundance of patients living with Hepatitis C virus in rural areas of New Mexico who do not have access to specialists like himself. Even the patients who are able to see a specialist often have a long wait to be seen; there is eight month wait to see Dr. Arora (Becker 2011). [Dr. Auroa] began to think of ways to multiply his expertise so more doctors in the state could provide the same level of care for patients with Hepatitis C as he could" (Becker 2011). As a result Dr. Auroa developed project ECHO; Extensions of Community Healthcare Outcomes. .
Project ECHO uses video conferencing "to link specialists at university medical centers with community-based providers to provide any training, advice, and support they need to deliver evidence-based best practices to patients locally" (Pfeifer 2012). Local providers simply describe their cases to the specialists, who access the patient's medical record and offer advice on treatments for the patient. "Specialists serve as mentors and colleagues, sharing their medical knowledge and experience with primary care providers",(Project ECHO Brings Complex, Chronic Care to Veterans 2012). .
Project ECHO now operates weekly clinics via video conference for more than a dozen medical conditions (Becker 2011). Project ECHO is currently being implemented other places including the University of Washington, Harvard University, the University of Utah, the University of Nevada, and the University of South Florida. Also the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs have adopted the model. .
Modifying Project ECHO for Veterans.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched its version of the ECHO model called Specialty Care Access Network or SCAN-ECHO on July 11, 2012. SCAN-ECHO uses existing wall-mounted teleconferencing units and a bridge that allows multiple providers to dial in at once" and all participating providers can be viewed on the screen (Mendonca).
