A telementoring intervention leads to improvements in self-reported measures of health care access and quality among patients with complex diabetes

Authors

Margaret M. Paul, Department of Population Health at the New York University School of Medicine
Andrea Davila Saad, Department of Population Health at the New York University School of Medicine
John Billings, Wagner School of Public Service at New York University
Saul Blecker, Department of Population Health at the New York University School of Medicine
Matthew F. Bouchonville, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Cindy Chavez, UNM Health Sciences Center at the University of New Mexico
Brant W. Hager, Division of Behavioral Health Consultation and Integration, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Sanjeev Arora, Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico
Carolyn A. Berry, Department of Population Health at the New York University School of Medicine

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2020

Abstract

Individuals living with complex diabetes experience limited access to endocrine care due to a nationwide shortage of endocrinologists. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is an innovative, scalable model of health care that extends specialty care to medically underserved areas through ongoing telementorship of community primary care providers. We evaluated the effects of an endocrine-focused ECHO program (Endo ECHO) on patients with type 1 and complex type 2 diabetes, and report here on changes in patient-reported measures of health care access and quality from baseline to one year after program enrollment. Patients were eligible for Endo ECHO if they were 18 years or older with complex diabetes. After participating in Endo ECHO, access to health care and diabetes-related quality of care improved dramatically. Our results suggest that Endo ECHO may be a suitable intervention for extending best practices in diabetes care to medically underserved patients.

Recommended Citation

Paul MM, Saad AD, Billings J, Blecker S, Bouchonville MF, Chavez C, Hager BW, Arora S, Berry CA. A Telementoring Intervention Leads to Improvements in Self-Reported Measures of Health Care Access and Quality among Patients with Complex Diabetes. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2020;31(3):1124-1133. doi: 10.1353/hpu.2020.0085. PMID: 33416685.