Health care providers make complex decisions every day, and sometimes the right expertise is needed at a particular moment: when a patient presents with an unfamiliar condition, when the next step in care isn’t clear or when a provider is navigating an increasingly complex case.

The Care Collaborative helps make this expertise accessible. Through ECHO Colorado and eConsults, health care professionals across Colorado can connect with specialists, practical knowledge and peers in ways that support both the decisions they are making today and the care they will provide tomorrow.

eConsults: Guidance when a patient needs it
When a provider has a patient-specific clinical question, timely access to specialist expertise can help define the path forward. Through eConsults, participating providers can submit clinical questions electronically and receive asynchronous recommendations from specialists, typically within days. This guidance helps inform next steps, support care in the patient’s community and identify when an in-person specialty referral is needed. Instead of waiting weeks for a specialty appointment, eConsults offer another way to access expertise about a patient’s care.

ECHO: Knowledge that’s there when you need it
Timely expertise isn’t only about getting an answer to an immediate question. It’s also about having the knowledge to feel more prepared when the next complex situation arises. ECHO Colorado brings together health care professionals, specialists and peers through interactive, case-based learning. Providers explore challenging clinical topics, learn from real cases and hear how others are approaching similar situations in their own practices.

This learning carries forward. Knowledge gained through an ECHO series can inform the care of future patients, while connections with specialists and peers create an ongoing community for learning and support.

The right expertise at the right time
ECHO and eConsults offer different kinds of support at different moments. An eConsult can provide specialist guidance when a provider is deciding about a particular patient. ECHO helps providers build the knowledge, confidence and connections they can draw on as clinical challenges arise. Together, they make expertise something providers can more readily access and apply in everyday practice, whether the need is in front of them today or something they want to be better prepared for tomorrow.

Explore ECHO Colorado and eConsults to connect with
expertise for your practice.