About the Series:
Appalachian Mountain Family Medicine Behavioral Health (AMFM) ECHO aims to give primary care clinicians access to specialists and behavioral health experts. This opportunity increases their knowledge of specialty conditions and allows them to engage in interdisciplinary case consultation. At the forefront of patient care, primary care providers (PCPs) face clinical challenges when thorough patient care invites the use of specialist referrals. Many barriers impact behavioral health referrals including cost, travel, and workforce shortages. Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) uses a hub and spokes learning collaborative model through a tele-education platform to share knowledge among specialists and community PCPs and fosters mentorship.