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The background image is Members of the Penn State Project ECHO are sitting under a large vinyl banner that says Project ECHO. They are sitting at a reflective conference table.

Using technology, not proximity, to connect and share knowledge

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) moves knowledge instead of patients. The heart of the ECHO model is its knowledge-sharing networks, led by expert specialist teams mentoring multiple community providers. Project ECHO is not “telemedicine,” where expert specialists assume the care of the patient; it is a collaborative care model aimed at practice improvement, in which providers retain responsibility for patients and operate with increasing independence as skills and confidence grow.

Public health and health care professionals become part of a virtual learning community, where they receive expert mentoring and feedback. Together, specialists and community providers collaborate to discuss patient cases and develop recommendations for care. Over time, participants become experts – engaged in a wider community of learners and empowered to address complex conditions.

As a result, patients get the high-quality care they need, when they need it, and close to home.

Find an Active or Upcoming ECHO

Project ECHO offers resources on a number of topics. Click on a topic to learn more.

How does Project ECHO help?

Hear from one Penn State Project ECHO participant – Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president of The Wright Center for Graduate Medical Education and CEO of The Wright Center for Community Health – about the program’s impacts.