Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Project ECHO is an innovative health care program developed to treat chronic and complex medical conditions in rural and underserved areas by using teleconferencing technology. By using this interactive technology, Project ECHO bridges the gap between specialty care and providers in community and rural settings.

Project ECHO works by creating an effective and efficient way for community providers to interface with university specialists to receive guidance on treatment strategies and continuing medical education.

Project ECHO also builds the capacity of community providers and empowers them by building their knowledge and skills in specialty areas.

Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes.

Project ECHO is not for patients. Instead, Project ECHO is a service for providers in community health settings and providers who practice in rural areas. Patients are not actually seen during Project ECHO sessions. Instead, Project ECHO sessions let community providers connect to specialists at Saginaw Valley State University. Saginaw Valley State University specialists can help rural providers co-manage patients with common chronic conditions.

Providers who participate in Project ECHO can present their clinical cases to a specialist or simply join other providers in the spirit of learning or professional development (similar to grand rounds).

Project ECHO partners include:

• Physicians,
• Advanced practice clinicians,
• Clinic nurses,
• Medical assistants, and
• Community health workers.

1. Click the Register here button and fill out the Survey Monkey to register. This will register you for the SVSU Project ECHO (in general), not just a specific date or session.
2. Within a week of filling out the survey you will receive an email with an invitation from no-reply@iecho.org: Click on the “Join Program” button. This will navigate you to a screen that will have you set up your iECHO account (iECHO is how you will access all ECHO programs and sessions)
3. The email address you provided to SVSU in your registration on Survey Monkey is your username. You will be asked to set up a Password and will be prompted to complete multi-factor authentication (a code will be sent to your email). 
4. Once your account creation is complete you will be routed to your Home page for iECHO where you will see a list of upcoming sessions.

Providers who join Project ECHO benefit from the following things:

• Evidence-based, best practice guidance from specialists
• Case-based "learning-loop"
• Clinical update presentations from faculty
• No cost CME, CEU, CE for participation
• Live Q & A
• Opportunity to translate new knowledge into practice to improve outcomes for chronic conditions commonly seen by primary providers

Even though Project ECHO does not directly serve patients, Project ECHO benefits patients by:

• Giving patients improved access to specialty care,
• Allowing patients to be treated locally by their provider, and
• Reducing travel time to a specialist.

Yes. Providers who join Project ECHO have excellent opportunities to participate in research, surveys, and opinion polls.

Yes. Outcomes research is extremely valuable in order to demonstrate the success of our programs.

Project ECHO is FREE. There is no cost associated with participating with Project ECHO.

We are fully grant funded! This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the following grant: T94HP30878 titled Bridging with Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to Reduce Rural Health Inequities, for $2.6 million

We are grateful for that support!

iecho is the platform we hold all of our meetings on. You will need to make an account with iecho in order to attend our sessions. If you would like to sign up with iecho you can do so by  clicking here. 

*Note: You will need to fill out our registration survey to receive an invite to join Substance Use Disorder ECHO. If you have not done so yet you can Register here.

During the session be sure to put your name, email, and credentials into the chat. This is how we take attendance during the session. After the session you will receive an email titled "Post-Session ECHO Evaluation" with directions to complete a survey.

For CMEs: You will need to fill out the survey highlighted in yellow on that email. At the end of the survey, you will be given an activity code. To claim that code you will need to visit www.eeds.com.  Once there, follow the prompts on the page to log into your existing account or create a new account.  If you have difficulty with the log in process, you will need to contact EEDS customer support at 828-252-0233. 

For CEUs: In order to receive a certificate, you must complete the evaluation survey and provide your name, credentials, and email address. Your certificate will be sent to you via the email address you provided.  Please allow up to one month to receive your certificate upon the close of the survey period. 

Patients of all ages with: substance use disorder, patients with co-occuring disorders, patients with complex, co-morbid health and behavioral health conditions, patients with mental health conditions, patients who are on medication assisted treatment, a patient you suspect may have a substance use disorder or mental illness but is not yet diagnosed, patients who are just beginning treatment and those that have experienced treatment one or more times.