Primary Care Support

Objective

All primary care clinics in the state, with emphasis on Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), will have access to integrated services through telehealth partnerships. These services are intended to support the mission of the primary care clinic as a medical home, emphasizing the importance of local health care infrastructure while mitigating gaps in access to supporting resources.

Example Services

• Project ECHO/Telementoring
• Diabetes Remote Patient Monitoring
• Diabetic Retinopathy Screening
• Primary Care Integrated Services
  • Nutrition Counseling
  • Psychiatry

Description

Primary Care Support services are specifically designed to unite distant and local providers to leverage primary care in our state. Through this strategy domain, South Carolina communities are equipped with additional primary care resources to enhance the way their patients receive care, without bypassing their local healthcare infrastructure.

Callouts

• Throughout 2021, South Carolina’s Project ECHO/ Telementoring programs, held 88 sessions, with approximately 2,887 participants. These programs focus on empowering rural healthcare providers to provide specialty-informed care for patients with specific needs through regular case and didactic sessions.
  
  
• South Carolina’s Diabetic Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) program has enrolled over 1,500 patients since the program started, and supports over 40 clinic locations and free clinics during the year. This program allows providers to continuously monitor patients’ blood glucose levels from afar while the patient is at home or in a clinical setting using the appropriate telehealth equipment. If levels are abnormal, the provider can quickly alert the patient or clinic staff to resolve the issue.