Assessing the Impact of the Project ECHO Endocrinology Hub on New Jersey Medicaid Patient Outcomes and Spending

Primary care practitioners (PCPs) must stay apprised of a steady stream of new knowledge about the treatment of complex health conditions. Gaps in front-line provider knowledge and confidence about complex diagnosis and treatment decisions can lead to avoidable use of specialty care and hospital emergency department and inpatient services. Project ECHO™ (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a national model of support for PCPs to improve their ability to treat patients with complex needs. Under this project, the Center is evaluating the NJ Project ECHO hub focusing on care for Medicaid patients with complex endocrine conditions, including diabetes. Using Medicaid utilization and spending data, the evaluation team is comparing changes in outcomes for patients of participating PCPs relative to patients of non-participating matched comparison PCPs and documenting potential savings to Medicaid.