A Project ECHO Telementoring Program Cut Hospital Admissions Among Diabetics by 44 Percent

mHealth Intelligence: A Project ECHO Telementoring Program Cut Hospital Admissions Among Diabetics by 44 Percent

According to a recent study published in Medical Care, a Project ECHO telementoring program that involved primary care providers resulted in a decrease in hospitalizations among Medicaid patients with diabetes. The study evaluated one of the Project ECHO programs operated by Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) that focuses on diabetes and other endocrine diseases, known as EndoECHO. Researchers found a 44.3 percent drop in inpatient admissions among Medicaid patients with Project ECHO providers compared with their counterparts, and a 61.9 percent reduction in inpatient spending among Medicaid patients whose providers participated in Project ECHO compared with the control group. The researchers concluded that Project ECHO participation was associated with large and statistically significant reductions in inpatient hospitalization and spending.