Missouri Revised Statutes Title XII. Public Health and Welfare § 191.1140. Treatment of chronic, common, and complex diseases, program authorized, purpose

1. Subject to appropriations, the University of Missouri shall manage the “Show-Me Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (ECHO) Program”. The department of health and senior services shall collaborate with the University of Missouri in utilizing the program to expand the capacity to safely and effectively treat chronic, common, and complex diseases in rural and underserved areas of the state and to monitor outcomes of such treatment.

2. The program is designed to utilize current telehealth technology to disseminate knowledge of best practices for the treatment of chronic, common, and complex diseases from a multidisciplinary team of medical experts to local primary care providers who will deliver the treatment protocol to patients, which will alleviate the need of many patients to travel to see specialists and will allow patients to receive treatment more quickly.

3. The program shall utilize local community health care workers with knowledge of local social determinants as a force multiplier to obtain better patient compliance and improved health outcomes.