Hepatitis C Virus ECHO

About

Project ECHO-HCV uses interactive web-based videoconferencing to connect health care providers and encourage them to share medical knowledge. This partnership makes it easier to deliver care to patients in their local surroundings; it also keeps providers up to date on new developments in hepatitis treatment and research. Community providers are organized into learning networks that meet on a weekly basis to present patient cases and learn from didactic education sessions.

Recent medical publications have pointed out that patients with complex conditions can be successfully cared for in this method and are more likely to keep scheduled appointments and adhere to challenging medical regimens when they can see a provider in their home community, rather than having to travel long distances to see a specialist.

In an article by the New England Journal of Medicine entitled “Hepatitis C in the United States,” researchers found that approximately 3.2 million people are currently infected with Hepatitis C in the United States. Linking these individuals to care is essential to the treatment and management of these individuals.

Participants are awarded 1.0 hour of ACCME Category CME credit at no cost for each 1.0 hour of live sessions attended. Full instructions for claiming CME are available in the CME Learner Information Packet.

ECHO Model 

The ECHO learning model features case-based learning. Case presentations allow for a collaborative learning environment where everyone has an opportunity to learn, and everyone has an opportunity to teach. Anyone can submit a case. If you are having trouble diagnosing a patient, need help determining a treatment plan, or are looking for help in supporting a patient, you may consider submitting a case.

Education and Learning 

Leveraging opportunities for treatment/user simplicity (LOTUS): Navigating the current treatment landscape for achieving hepatitis C virus elimination among persons who inject drugs. http://doi.org/10.1111/jvh.13927.