03 Jul 2019

Telehealth empowering primary care clinicians with specialist skills

Telehealth innovations are improving care for millions of patients around the world. Now one of the most successful telehealth models is becoming firmly established in Australia, providing primary care clinicians with greater access to specialist knowledge.

“Telehealth services are often seen as a solution for regional and remote areas alone,” says Darren Hunter, Acting Manager of the TAC’s Client Access and Participation Team. “Now there’s greater push to make them part of mainstream practice. Whether in Melbourne or Mildura, telehealth initiatives can expedite healthcare provision and improve patient outcomes.”

Project ECHO

A highly respected telehealth model is Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), launched in 2003 by Dr Sanjeev Arora, a liver disease specialist in New Mexico, USA. His clinic was one of only two in the state that treated hepatitis C. Frustrated that thousands of people were unable to receive care, Dr Arora started training primary care clinicians to treat hepatitis C in their own communities.

Today the Project ECHO model operates in more than 30 countries. Using video technology, specialists at a ‘hub’ lead virtual clinics with primary care clinicians at the ‘spokes’ of community health. The model serves as a virtual chart round, in which de-identified cases are presented and discussed amongst the panel and attendees to share best practice information.

The model allows patients with complex conditions to receive care from their local providers, eliminating the need to wait for specialist appointments or travel long distances. Primary care clinicians also learn from one another and share information with specialists in the pursuit to improve best practice.

Applying the model in Australia

Based at the University of New Mexico, Project ECHO helps organisations around the world replicate its model. In Australia this includes Children’s Health Queensland, which last year received Project ECHO’s ‘superhub’ status. Other organisations can now set up Project ECHO projects using training they receive in Brisbane, rather than having to travel to New Mexico.

In Victoria, the Western Victoria Primary Health Network has aligned with St Vincent’s Hospital to create a Project ECHO opioid management partnership that gives providers access to addiction specialist advice.

Building on this success, the Western Victoria Primary Health Network is partnering with Barwon Health to develop a new Project ECHO project to build capacity in chronic pain management across the region. It is anticipated this will be operational in the second half of this year.

“With a large number of TAC clients experiencing chronic pain, we believe that this development holds a lot of promise for the quality of care and associated health outcomes of many Victorians injured on our roads,” says Marnie Jewell, TAC Project Lead for Client Access and Participation. “We are keen to support and advocate for the use of Project ECHO.”

What this means for TAC clients

The TAC seeks to be at the forefront of applying new technologies to improve outcomes for our clients.

“We want to identify the most effective mechanisms for delivering health education,” says Darren. “So we’re looking at technologies that can aid collaboration among healthcare providers to benefit each and every one of our clients. The end goal is to improve access, equity and value in health care.”

We want to hear from you if you have experience with telehealth or would like more information about digital health technologies. Email us at stakeholder_communications@tac.vic.gov.au

You can also join the Telehealth Victoria Community of Practice to learn more about Victorian telehealth initiatives.


03 Jul 2019 Telehealth empowering primary care clinicians with specialist skills Telehealth innovations are improving care for millions of patients around the world. Now one of the most successful telehealth models is becoming firmly established in Australia, providing primary care clinicians with greater access to specialist knowledge. Telehealth innovations are improving care for millions of patients around the world. Now one of the most successful telehealth models is becoming firmly established in Australia, providing primary care clinicians with greater access to specialist knowledge. “Telehealth services are often seen as a solution for regional and remote areas alone,” says Darren Hunter, Acting Manager of the TAC’s Client Access and Participation Team. “Now there’s greater push to make them part of mainstream practice. Whether in Melbourne or Mildura, telehealth initiatives can expedite healthcare provision and improve patient outcomes.” Project ECHO A highly respected telehealth model is Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), launched in 2003 by Dr Sanjeev Arora, a liver disease specialist in New Mexico, USA. His clinic was one of only two in the state that treated hepatitis C. Frustrated that thousands of people were unable to receive care, Dr Arora started training primary care clinicians to treat hepatitis C in their own communities. Today the Project ECHO model operates in more than 30 countries. Using video technology, specialists at a ‘hub’ lead virtual clinics with primary care clinicians at the ‘spokes’ of community health. The model serves as a virtual chart round, in which de-identified cases are presented and discussed amongst the panel and attendees to share best practice information. The model allows patients with complex conditions to receive care from their local providers, eliminating the need to wait for specialist appointments or travel long distances. Primary care clinicians also learn from one another and share information with specialists in the pursuit to improve best practice. Applying the model in Australia Based at the University of New Mexico, Project ECHO helps organisations around the world replicate its model. In Australia this includes Children’s Health Queensland, which last year received Project ECHO’s ‘superhub’ status. Other organisations can now set up Project ECHO projects using training they receive in Brisbane, rather than having to travel to New Mexico. In Victoria, the Western Victoria Primary Health Network has aligned with St Vincent’s Hospital to create a Project ECHO opioid management partnership that gives providers access to addiction specialist advice. Building on this success, the Western Victoria Primary Health Network is partnering with Barwon Health to develop a new Project ECHO project to build capacity in chronic pain management across the region. It is anticipated this will be operational in the second half of this year. “With a large number of TAC clients experiencing chronic pain, we believe that this development holds a lot of promise for the quality of care and associated health outcomes of many Victorians injured on our roads,” says Marnie Jewell, TAC Project Lead for Client Access and Participation. “We are keen to support and advocate for the use of Project ECHO.” What this means for TAC clients The TAC seeks to be at the forefront of applying new technologies to improve outcomes for our clients. “We want to identify the most effective mechanisms for delivering health education,” says Darren. “So we’re looking at technologies that can aid collaboration among healthcare providers to benefit each and every one of our clients. The end goal is to improve access, equity and value in health care.” We want to hear from you if you have experience with telehealth or would like more information about digital health technologies. Email us at stakeholder_communications@tac.vic.gov.au You can also join the Telehealth Victoria Community of Practice to learn more about Victorian telehealth initiatives.