A new study from the University of Michigan revealed that patients who had taken part in Veteran Affairs-run telemedicine consultation program were 54 percent more probable to survive chronic liver disease compared to non-participants.

Dr. Grace L. Sue, the lead author cum gastroenterologist from the University of Michigan said, “It seems that primary care providers who participated in [the program] were more likely to follow the guidelines for cirrhosis and perform the screening for esophageal varicose veins and liver cancer in the patients who need it; I think it is the behavior of the provider that’s the reason patients lived longer.”

This rural telehealth consultation program named Specialty Care Access Network-Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (SCAN-ECHO) was launched by the Department of Veterans Affairs in New Mexico in 2012. To begin with, this program was used for chronic liver disease. This consultation connected rural care teams to specialty clinics, where the patients can be treated in a better way.

Dr. Grace L. Sue stated, “It’s a medical force multiplier; It is one thing for a primary care provider to read or learn about a disease, but another when they have a specific patient in mind. This case-based teaching magnifies the potential for learning. Creating many mini-specialists from primary care providers is the most powerful aspect of the SCAN-ECHO program.”

Dr. Grace L. Sue further stated, “Primary care providers really want to do the right thing, but they may not have all the necessary tools; this research shows an excellent way to impart specialty knowledge to them."