U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) recently praised an initiative by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help laboratories in rural communities improve diagnostic excellence.
Specifically, the CDC announced that its Division of Laboratory Systems this year is piloting a laboratory community of practice project adapted from the clinician-based Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) Model, which was developed by the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.
“I appreciate the CDC’s priority to reduce diagnostic error by utilizing the Project ECHO model,” Rep. Burgess said on Feb. 21. “Bringing together laboratory professionals, clinicians, and Project ECHO leaders in a collaborative effort will help to achieve the goal of this initiative.”
The project aims to connect laboratory professionals, clinicians and subject matter experts in laboratory medicine; use case-based learning to educate and train laboratory and healthcare professionals; and examine cross-cutting issues in clinical and anatomic pathology, according to the CDC.
Using proven adult learning techniques and interactive video technology, the ECHO Model™ connects groups of community providers with specialists at centers of excellence in regular real-time collaborative sessions designed around case-based learning and mentorship, according to the University of New Mexico.
“Project ECHO is an effective way to ensure widespread access to care,” said Rep. Burgess. “This guided practice model has proven overwhelmingly successful in growing workforce capacity to provide best-practice specialty care and reduce health disparities.”
The congressman said he has advocated for Project ECHO since sponsoring the Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes Act, which facilitated integration of Project ECHO into health systems across the country and was signed into law in December 2016.
“Last year, I introduced H.R. 5199, the ECHO Act of 2019, which would authorize grant funding to expand the use of ECHO models,” he added.
Rep. Burgess in November 2019 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of the bipartisan H.R. 5199 with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) and 11 other cosponsors. The measure is under consideration by the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.