Objective:

The overarching goal of this initiative was to build capacity within community neurology clinics, having them conduct quality improvement (QI) initiatives to decrease headache burden in their patients. 

Background:

While singular educational programs address knowledge gaps and support clinical changes, QI initiatives offer a way to drive sustained improvements in care. Many community healthcare practices lack the resources and expertise to implement these initiatives. The ECHO® model addresses this by offering a pathway for building QI capacity through virtual, longitudinal education and coaching. ECHO® employs a telementoring approach that combines expert-led didactics with interactive case-based learning, connecting community clinics (“participating sites”) with expert faculty (“hub”) in an "all teach, all learn" model. This approach has proven successful in driving practice changes and improving healthcare management.

Design/Methods:

We employed the ECHO® model to coach clinicians on how to integrate QI strategies with clinical best practices in a monthly educational series on the topic of migraine prevention. This model equipped community neurology healthcare professionals (HCPs) with both clinical and QI skills, following the IHI’s Model for Improvement. The program offered 12 monthly sessions focusing on QI and clinical topics. The ECHO sessions facilitated peer-to-peer feedback on QI initiatives and clinical challenges, enabling collaboration across sites. 

Results:

Eight sites were able to complete the program and submit run charts of their data. With 7 of 8 sites showing improvement in migraine burden for their patients. 

Conclusions:

Utilizing a remote model for QI project implementation is an effective strategy for broadening the reach of QI experts. Coaching is critical for learning QI processes, particularly in complex initiatives, and helps build internal capacity for sustained improvements. Additionally, the structured format of the ECHO® sessions, coupled with deadlines and peer accountability, ensured that participants remained engaged and maintained momentum despite competing priorities—a common reason for QI projects to falter.