Primary Care Support

Primary Care Support services are intended to support the mission of the primary care clinic as a medical home, emphasizing the importance of local healthcare infrastructure while mitigating gaps in access to supporting resources. Connecting distant and local providers in South Carolina through its wide range of programs, these services maximize primary care statewide. 

Example Services

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

South Carolina’s Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Peer Support Specialist Program is valuable to the continuum of care for the treatment of substance use disorders in our state. Through its virtual “teach and learn” atmosphere, the program brings together peer recovery support specialists to exchange knowledge and empower each other to provide recovery care to SC’s most vulnerable residents.  Learn more about the program.

Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) programs offered by several SCTA partnering organizations continue to serve as valuable tools to help manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart conditions, and hypertension. Utilizing the appropriate equipment and technology, providers can virtually monitor a patient’s clinical condition while the patient is at home or in a clinical setting. If the provider detects abnormal patient levels, they can quickly alert the patient or primary care home to resolve the issue.  

• 294,200+ Remote Patient Monitoring Interactions in 2023 

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) launched a telehealth-enabled Collaboration of Care Model (CoCM) Program in 2023 at four rural clinics in SC. The program leverages a behavioral health care manager who works with a consulting psychiatrist to provide virtual behavioral health services to patients in collaboration with their primary care provider. This telehealth-enabled model makes efficient use of the full mental health care team, which is critical given the shortages in mental health providers. Due to high demand and success, the program plans to scale to 18 additional clinics in 2024.  

• Since the pilot began, there have been 180+ referrals, and 60+ medication recommendations.  
• Over 50% of patients reported a significant reduction in depression and anxiety symptoms within 8 weeks of enrollment in the CoCM program.