What is Project ECHO®?

Project ECHO® is committed to addressing the needs of the most vulnerable populations by equipping communities with the right knowledge, at the right place, at the right time. How it works – What if everyone could get the high-quality services they need, from local people they know and trust? 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. The sessions, designed around case-based learning and mentorship, help local workers gain the expertise required to provide needed services. Providers gain skills and confidence; specialists learn new approaches for applying their knowledge across diverse cultural and geographical contexts. As the capacity of the local workforce increases, lives improve. NJAAP is one of only three approved Pediatric Project ECHO® hub sites in New Jersey. Project ECHO® works with a hub and spoke model to disseminate knowledge and amplify local capacity to provide best practice care. Using the Project ECHO® model, participating physicians and team members at practice sites receive guidance and coaching from the hub team of subject matter and QI experts to achieve program goals via monthly virtual learning and case discussion sessions.

  • Healthy Spaces
  • The Early Identification and Referral for Autism (EIRA) Project ECHO Program – Cognoa

NJAAP is leading an MOC part 4 QI program aimed at improving Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening among 30 pediatricians from 14 pediatric practices across the state and linking families to appropriate resources and services. The Early Identification and Referral for Autism (EIRA) Project ECHO program utilizes the hub and spoke Project ECHO framework while incorporating QI methodologies and multiple educational modalities. The goal of the program is to improve completion of autism specific screening at 18- and 24-month well child visits and increase referral to services at the time of screening. A series of eight virtual clinics aims to build a bi-directional learning community where participants learn from contents experts and each other. Overtime, the goal is that by participating on a regular basis, participants feel that they have attained the skills necessary to implement and sustain the changes and improvements gained throughout the project and gained self-efficacy around autism screening.

For More Information, please contact Regina Grazel; rgrazel@njaap.org

  • STOP THE SPREAD – Sexually Transmitted Infections
    The Stop the Spread: Screen STI Program is a comprehensive educational and QI program with the goals of improving sexual health communication and sexual risk assessment, and universal screening for STIs among female adolescents and young women, ages 15–24 years. Awareness and Education Campaign – The statewide awareness and education campaign provides comprehensive training for pediatric providers on STI epidemiology, sexual health assessment, and the need for improved screening through multiple educational strategies. Project ECHO® QI ProgramThe program follows the Project ECHO® model for Quality Improvement. This model utilizes virtual technology to incorporate education, QI methodologies and best practices to aid in sexual health assessment, communication with parents and adolescents/young adults, and STI screening. Up to 25 pediatric practices are aiming to improve assessment of STI risk and increase universal STI testing for female patients 15-24 years of age, regardless of reported sexual activity. The increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and the lack of recommended screening is a rising problem among adolescents and young adults.
  • Nearly 2.3 million cases of Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis were diagnosed in the US in 2017. More than 1.7 million cases were Chlamydia, with 45% among 15– to 24-year-old females, marking the fourth consecutive year of sharp increases (CDC, 2018).
  • In New Jersey, 6,842 Chlamydia cases (42%) were from ages 15-19 in 2017 (NJ Sexually Transmitted Disease Data: 2012-2017).
  • Up to 50% of new cases were diagnosed in individuals ages 15-24 with the vast majority not being tested in the past year (American Sexual Health Association, 2018).

Stop the Spread: Screen STI is a collaborative project with Hologic, NJ Department of Health, and NJAAP designed to meet these identified needs.

  • HPV Project ECHO®
    The CDC estimates that each year over 24,000 cancers could be prevented with HPV vaccines. In 2018, NJAAP joined states in AAP District 3 in a quality improvement project to increase HPV immunization rates and prevent HPV cancers in the state.
    HPV Project ECHO® produced two CDC recognized “HPV Champions of the Year”Total Number of Practices:20 Total Number of Physicians: 50