IOF is delighted to announce that Bone Health ECHO^TM (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is now an allied member of the IOF Committee of National Societies (CNS). 

Professor Jean-Yves Reginster, Chair of the CNS, stated: “There is a strong alignment between the mission of the International Osteoporosis Foundation to promote bone and musculoskeletal health as a worldwide priority, and Bone Health ECHO, which aims to expand global capacity to deliver best practice skeletal healthcare. We warmly welcome Bone Health ECHO to the IOF family of member organizations and look forward to close collaboration in improving the care of patients with musculoskeletal diseases worldwide.”

The IOF CNS includes 310 organizations in more than 150 countries, ranging from full and associate member societies to allied members which represent a wide range of organizations working in the bone and related-medical fields as well as universities working in bone research.

Dr E. Michael Lewiecki, Bone Health ECHO director, and director of the New Mexico Clinical Research and Osteoporosis Center, stated: “IOF CNS membership can enhance the mission of the IOF by exposing members and IOF website visitors to Bone Health ECHO opportunities to elevate their level of knowledge of skeletal diseases. The ECHO model of learning serves as a force multiplier in that each participant can apply what has been learned to many patients, and expansion of the number of ECHO programs, each at the right time and in the right language for those who wish to participate, will reach more healthcare providers.”

Learn about Bone Health ECHO™ 

The prototype Bone Health ECHO program was established in 2015 as part of Project ECHO, a department of the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, in Albuquerque, NM, USA. ECHO is technology-enabled collaborative learning, with a US government report stating that consistently positive effects have been found in areas that have been measured (1). 
There are now 14 Bone Health ECHO programs worldwide, with more expected to follow. Nine of them are located in the US and 5 in other countries including Ireland, Lebanon, Australia / New Zealand, Russia. These virtual communities of practice provide opportunities for healthcare providers to improve clinical skills so that patients can receive better care, closer to home, with greater convenience, and lower cost than referral to a specialty center that may be located far from the patient who needs the care (2). 

The ECHO model™ of interactive learning is highly effective at expanding the capacity to deliver best-practice medical care worldwide, at the right time, and in the right language for those who wish to participate.

To learn more about Joining Bone Health ECHO, watch this video
or visit the Bone Health ECHO website.

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References: 
1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Report to Congress: Current State of Technology-Enabled Collaborative Learning and Capacity Building Models 2019 February 2019 [cited 2022 January 14]. Available from: https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/260691/ECHOAct-ConsolidatedReport….
2. Lewiecki EM, Boyle JF, Arora S, Bouchonville MF, 2nd, Chafey DH. Telementoring: a novel approach to reducing the osteoporosis treatment gap. Osteoporos Int. 2017;28(1):407-11