Target Audience

Providers and clinical staff who are interested in providing treatment and care to individuals diagnosed with Hepatitis C (providers, nursing, behavioral health, linkage navigators, front desk/scheduling, admin, etc.).

Purpose

This interactive web-based program provides community-focused primary care clinicians an opportunity to become experts in the delivery of Hepatitis C care through a mentoring-based initiative. Project ECHO, developed by Dr. Sanjeev Aurora at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in 2003, provides a framework for sharing expertise across the state and as a result will help patients achieve a viral cure and avoid the downstream sequela associated with HCV without leaving the providers they trust and the communities where they live and work. Interested providers do not have to have any prior experience in treating Hepatitis C to participate in HCV ECHO.

The mission is to help centers and primary care providers manage HCV patients at their primary care center to alleviate barriers to care for un/underinsured patients by increasing the providers’ abilities to treat their patients at their primary care health center.

Professional Practice Gap

Iowa Medicaid requires medication treatment for HCV be prescribed by or in consult with a specialist. This creates a barrier to care for un/underinsured patients and a gap in care for patients and primary care providers that do not have access to specialists in their communities where specialists (infectious disease/hepatologists) are scarce or will only see a limited number of Medicaid patients.  

The HCV ECHO will allow primary care providers to meet the prescribing requirement for Medicaid patients and to consult with specialists for all of their patients with HCV to allow the patients to be treated by their PCP at their local health center thus decreasing barriers to care and increasing positive health outcomes. The ECHO model allows for PCPs to increase their knowledge and skill set regarding Hepatitis C treatment and care through the didactic sessions and mentoring from specialists.  

Learning Objectives

• Prevent new hepatitis C infections.
• Reduce deaths and improve the health of people living with hepatitis C.

Moderator

Julie Baker, MPA, CHCEF
Director of Preventive Services, Special Populations Contact, Iowa Primary Care Association

Speaker

Shane Scharer, MS
Hepatitis Data Coordinator, Bureau of HIV, STD, and Hepatitis, Iowa Department of Public Health

Relevant to the content of this educational activity, the speaker and moderator have no financial relationships with commercial interest companies to disclose.