BALTIMORE, Md.—October 8, 2009—Med-IQ, an ACCME-accredited provider of continuing medical education (CME), announces the launch of a complimentary, certified Performance Improvement (PI) CME initiative for primary care professionals, Performance Improvement Strategies: Osteoporosis Care (Osteoporosis PI CME), endorsed by The Endocrine Society.

Osteoporosis is a major public health issue in the United States due to its prevalence and the morbidity and mortality resulting from associated fractures. Although many risk factors cannot be avoided, numerous preventive measures can be taken to reduce the risk. Osteoporosis PI CME provides primary care physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners with guideline-based performance benchmarks across the spectrum of osteoporosis care and the tools and resources to help them attain these benchmarks in order to successfully manage osteoporosis patient care.

"Despite advances in early diagnosis and effective treatment, osteoporosis remains underdiagnosed and undertreated," says Susan L. Greenspan, MD. "This PI CME series provides busy healthcare professionals with not only the access to convenient, evidence-based, participatory medical education on osteoporosis, but also with the tools, based on best practices by leading experts, that they will need to enhance patient care and achieve the goal of improving patient outcomes."

Osteoporosis PI CME is an American Medical Association (AMA)-standardized, 3-stage, certified initiative focused on enhancing the management of patients with, or at risk of, osteoporosis. PI CME has been recognized as an important component of a physician's continuing professional development. PI CME, the AMA performance improvement CME model, may answer multiple credentialing and reporting needs for physicians.

Participation in Osteoporosis PI CME is simple. Primary care professionals who complete the below stages in succession, as part of their participation in Osteoporosis PI CME, will earn 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Each stage can be completed online or with the help of the Med-IQ concierge team, which is available to explain the initiative and provide tips to make the process more convenient.

Stage A
Self-assess by comparing current osteoporosis practice with national benchmarks, performance guidelines, and data submitted by peers.

Stage B
Develop and follow a plan for sustained improvement in osteoporosis patient care.

Stage C
Reevaluate processes for osteoporosis management by comparing past performance with current performance in implementing guideline-based osteoporosis management.

Participants can earn more credits by participating in additional complimentary osteoporosis educational activities, including regional workshops, interactive Webcasts, and certified CME newsletters. Participants can also access and share with patients prescription pads that contain helpful information on nonpharmacologic osteoporosis management strategies. Participants can claim credits on-demand at www.pi-iq.com/osteoporosis.

About Med-IQ

Med-IQ, America's most respected continuing medical education (CME) company, is an accredited provider of CME that educates and inspires healthcare professionals through programs that deliver sophisticated outcomes-based educational designs with measurable results in professional competence and performance. Med-IQ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the California Board of Registered Nursing (CBRN), and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing medical education to physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, respectively. We are a leader in the development of performance improvement (PI) and quality improvement (QI) CME initiatives. To learn more about us, visit www.Med-IQ.com.

For more information, contact:

Catherine B. Mullaney, MHA
Vice President, Audience Development
and Educational Outcomes
443 543 5154
info@med-iq.com

This activity is endorsed by The Endocrine Society.