The role of the ECHO model in outcomes research and clinical practice improvement.

In the articles that follow in this Special Report supplement to The American Journal of Managed Care, the reader will note that various types of outcomes--humanistic and economic, as well as clinical--are measured to achieve a balanced picture of the comprehensive impact of the healthcare interventions implemented. Clinical research has only recently evolved to a state in which a balanced-systems approach to outcomes measurement is moving to the forefront. It is therefore important to understand the historical context of the outcomes movement within which the multidimensional approach developed. A description of this historical context is provided below, followed by an overview of the ECHO (Economic, Clinical, and Humanistic Outcomes) Model and case examples of the balance-of-outcomes model as implemented in a large integrated delivery system.