The program will work to establish a primary care culture that understands addiction as a chronic disease and is prepared and capable to address the range of issues, including underlying trauma and mental health conditions that emerge during the process of treatment. Specifically, this program will focus on supporting primary care based Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) services provided by prescribing providers, behavioral health clinicians and teams. By offering this virtual learning community, the program will support enhanced access to MAT in local communities. By continuing to strengthen the role and functions of integrated behavioral health clinicians in delivering MAT with their primary care providers and teams, the program will improve the experience, quality, and safety of care for patients with this dangerous and often deadly disease through evidence-based treatment. This program is intended to engage primary care prescribers who are already x-waivered or will be x-waivered by September 20^th.

Intended Audience: Primary care teams, including x-waivered primary care MAT prescribers, behavioral health clinicians, and other team members from practices located across Maine and New Hampshire, who seek support to develop, implement and sustain MAT care. Rural providers encouraged to apply.

 Learning objectives: 

• Establish cultural changes to reduce stigma of mental health and SUDs;
• Explore the importance of screening for mental health concerns with underlying SUDs, defining why behavioral health conditions are important to identify and address;
• Build competencies to deliver trauma-informed care and integrated behavioral health treatment;
• Implement medication assisted therapies and models of care for SUD;
• Bolster skills to appropriately identify and treat SUDs ;
• Develop models for team-based addiction treatment including developing relationships with experts and supportive entities in the medical neighborhood; and
• Build individual and organizational resilience to support complex patient care and sustain MAT.

Commitment:

• Attend Project ECHO orientation on August 16, 2018 from 11:30 to 1:00 PM.
• Participate in 8 monthly case-based learning sessions, using a virtual meeting platform (Zoom), on the third Thursday of each month from 11:30 to 1:00 PM, beginning September 20, 2018.
• Each 90-minute virtual learning session will include 2 patient case presentations and a brief lecture with Q&A. Participants can receive 1.5 CME credits for each virtual learning session attended.
• Commit to presenting at least one de-identified patient case presentation from each participating team. Provide any appropriate case follow-up to the network. 
• Complete a pre- and post-assessment at beginning and end of program.
• Provide requested data points for baseline, monthly and post-session measurement:

• Number of patients being treated with MAT by participating provider, and by practice
• Number of providers in clinic that are x-waivered

• Complete CME evaluation surveys to help with on-going quality improvement efforts.

Project ECHO: Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is an evidence-based method developed by researchers at the University of New Mexico. The ECHO model™ links teams of interdisciplinary specialists with primary care clinicians. During teleECHO™ sessions, experts mentor and share their expertise across a virtual network via case-based learning, enabling primary care practice teams to treat patients with complex conditions in their own communities.

Northern New England Network: A collaboration of Maine Quality Counts, New Hampshire Citizens Health Initiative at the University of New Hampshire Institute for Health Policy and Practice, the Vermont Program for Quality in Health Care, the Northeast Telehealth Resource Center, and the Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont Area Health Education Centers.

Program Schedule:

For more information, please contact Lise Tancrede at ltancrede@mainequalitycounts.org.