Nevada Today (02/16/24)

More than two out of three people in Nevada live in a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area, according to the "Physician Workforce in Nevada: A Chartbook." Telementoring enables rural clinicians to stay up-to-date with medical practices and treatments, which in turn benefits patient care and outcomes. Even before COVID-19, Project ECHO Nevada was challenged to connect rural healthcare providers with its telementoring program. The pandemic led to greater use of digital learning and helped to break down obstacles to virtual connections. "We were always a virtual telehealth platform," explains Mordechai Lavi, MD, medical director of Project ECHO Nevada. "We connect and create virtual communities of learning where we amplify best practices and share knowledge. These types of communities can help — especially in rural communities." From 2019 to 2022, rural healthcare and public health participation in the program increased by more than 26%, and participation from all state organizations rose by 180%. Last year, Project ECHO Nevada saw a 98% increase of case reviews conducted across all ECHO sessions from pre-COVID operations. In the organization's teleECHO programs, healthcare professionals use multi-point video technology to review patient cases with a multidisciplinary team of subject matter experts in an effort to determine treatment. With the case review process, the reviewing provider receives recommendations about their case and other participants have the opportunity to learn new skills. The interdisciplinary teams and shared experiences make the ECHO sessions a community of learning, helping the providers to learn from each other. Post-session evaluations show that more than 91% of ECHO participants feel their participation has reduced feelings of professional isolation. "These sessions can help providers feel not so alone in what can be a really lonely environment," Lavi said. "It lets them know other people are dealing with the same challenges in other communities."

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