Project Echo T1d Tackles Complexity Of Diabetes Cases In Primary Care

Primary care providers (PCPs) manage type 1 diabetes (T1D) and complex diabetes for people who lack access to multispecialty care. Project ECHOTM (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a low-dose, high frequency workforce development hub-spoke model that leverages telehealth to connect multidisciplinary specialists (“hub”) with PCPs across regional clinic sites (“spokes”). Applying the ECHO model, we piloted the model for T1D (Project ECHO T1D) in the states of California (CA) and Florida (FL) targeting PCPs managing adult and pediatric patients with T1D. Weekly hour-long teleECHOTM sessions were led by each hub in CA and FL over a 6 month pilot period. Each session included 1 to 2 case presentation. Prior to each teleECHO session, PCPs uploaded de-identified case presentations for discussion via REDCap®. Recommendations were provided by other participants and the multidisciplinary hub teams. Characteristics of case presentations were tracked in CA and FL. During the 6 month intervention, 47 new and follow-up cases were presented in CA and 45 in FL. Middle age adults (33.9±17.4 years-old, 20% pediatric) with poorly controlled diabetes (HbA1c 9.6±2.2% in CA and 10.4±2.8% in FL) were frequent cases. Common thematic questions submitted by PCPs in CA and FL, respectively, included: insulin dose adjustments (49%, 47%), social concerns (37%, 47%), behavioral health (29%, 34%), diabetes devices (44%, 13%), and diabetes education (15%, 38%). Patients commonly had depression (29.3%, 28.1%), recent hospitalizations (27%, 17%) and ER visits (33%, 26%) in the past year. Greatest barriers to care were social support (34%, 28%), financial (29%, 22%), diabetes knowledge (22%, 25%), attitudes and beliefs (27%, 16%) and psychiatric issues (20%, 19%). Findings illustrate the complexity of diabetes being managed by PCPs and the need for healthcare delivery innovation in diabetes education to support PCPs and primary care clinics who manage patients with complex diabetes who lack access to diabetes specialty care. Disclosure N. Cuttriss: None. C. Anez-Zabala: None. L.G. Baer: None. S.L. Filipp: None. M. Basina: None. M.J. Gurka: None. L. Figg: None. M.J. Haller: Advisory Panel; Self; SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. K.K. Hood: Research Support; Self; Dexcom, Inc. Speaker’s Bureau; Self; LifeScan, Inc., MedIQ. X. Roque: None. R. Lal: Consultant; Self; Abbott, Biolinq. S.C. Westen: None. D.M. Maahs: Advisory Panel; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Insulet Corporation, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk A/S. Consultant; Self; Abbott, Sanofi. Research Support; Self; Bigfoot Biomedical, Dexcom, Inc., Roche Diabetes Care, Tandem Diabetes Care. M. Town: Other Relationship; Self; Insulet Corporation. C. Wang: None. J.J. Wong: None. K. Yabut: None. A.F. Walker: None. Funding The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust