STORM TeleECHO will empower healthcare providers to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to manage pediatric and adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) using evidence-based best practices.

STORM TeleECHO is replicated from Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which dramatically improves capacity and access to specialty care for rural and underserved populations. This low-cost, high-impact intervention is accomplished by using web technology to link expert inter-disciplinary specialist teams with primary care clinicians through teleECHO™ clinics. This allows experts to mentor primary care clinicians, provide feedback on difficult patient cases and share expertise via monthly case presentation and didactic educational sessions.

• Professional Development: Providers acquire new skills and competencies for managing patients with sickle cell disease as part of a community of learners, thereby increasing professional satisfaction and decreasing feelings of isolation.
• Continued Learning: Providers gain access to continued learning (no-cost CME, CNE and MOC credits) and specialist (e.g. hematologists, psychologists, pharmacists, etc.) consultations during the teleECHO clinics. Participants become part of a knowledge network, focused on evidence-based care for patients with SCD, and the sharing of best-practices.
• Increased Efficiency: Providers may see more patients with sickle cell disease and utilize evidence-based strategies to improve overall care and outcomes. This standardization of 'best practices' also strengthens the health system as a whole.