Performance Improvement (PI) CME Assists Clinicians in Enhancing the Care of Patients With Osteoporosis

BALTIMORE, MD—September 17, 2014—Osteoporosis continues to be a major public health issue. Despite the availability of efficient, reliable methods for early diagnosis and effective, well-tolerated pharmacologic therapies for prevention and treatment, osteoporosis remains underrecognized and undertreated. The clinical and economic consequences of this disease call for a better understanding of and improved ability to apply preventive strategies. 

Med-IQ, an award-winning, ACCME-accredited provider of continuing medical education (CME), invites healthcare professionals who manage patients with osteo­porosis to participate in a performance improvement (PI) CME initiative, Performance Improvement Strategies in Osteoporosis. Now in its third year, this American Medical Association (AMA)-standardized PI CME activity provides primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants with guidelines and evidence-based strategies for improving osteoporosis care and optimizing patient outcomes. Topics covered in this free activity include identifying and assessing fracture risk, selecting risk-appropriate pharmacologic treatments, and implementing nonpharmacologic therapy. 

The PI initiative is designed to enhance clinician performance related to the comprehensive management of osteoporosis. It also describes practical process improvement strategies for optimizing the identification and assessment of osteoporosis risk factors. 

"The challenge of osteoporosis in this country is enormous and will not be met without the valuable contributions of the primary care community," said William A. Mencia, MD, CCMEP, Vice President of Education and Medical Affairs at Med-IQ. "The rewards of this educational effort will be multiplied as primary care professionals not only receive the latest knowledge and educational tools necessary to assist them in patient care but can share in these resources with other primary care providers in their practices and communities."

Participate while you practice

The online PI platform for the 2013-2014 series has been enhanced to provide a user-friendly interface designed to make participation in the activity less complicated, so clinicians can participate while they practice. Each of the below stages can be completed online or with the help of a Med-IQ concierge specialist, who is available to assist participants at any time by answering questions and providing step-by-step instructions, tips, and reminders, as well as data entry assistance to prevent interruptions to patient care.

Stage A – Assess
Assess your current practice against current evidence, expert consensus, and peers' practice.

Stage B – Apply
Develop and follow your own improvement plan.

Stage C – Evaluate
Reassess your practice to measure the effects of your improvement plan.

PI CME has been recognized as an important component of continuing professional development and may answer multiple credentialing and reporting needs. Participants can use their data from this PI CME series to earn credit for ABIM Maintenance of Certification.

This activity is approved through the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Approved Quality Improvement (AQI) Pathway and is eligible for 20 points towards the Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance requirement of Maintenance of Certification (MOC).

Performance Improvement Strategies in Osteoporosis is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. This activity is supported by an educational grant from Amgen.

For more information or to enroll, call (toll-free) 866 858 7434, e-mail concierge@med-iq.com, or visit www.pi-iq.com/osteoporosis2.