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For Immediate Release

Clinical Data To Be Published: A Performance Improvement Initiative Enhancing the Care of Patients With Depression

Learn more about Med-IQ’s current performance improvement (PI) CME activities. www.pi-iq.com



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BALTIMORE, MD—January 7, 2014—Although a common and potentially disabling condition, many patients with depression remain undiagnosed, and many more fail to receive adequate treatment. To address disparities between evidence-based medicine and clinical practice, several groups have published measures providing a framework to improve outcomes.

In an effort to assist clinicians with incorporating new evidence into routine practice though practice-based learning, Med-IQ, an award-winning, ACCME-accredited provider of continuing medical education (CME), in collaboration with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), developed a complimentary performance improvement (PI) CME activity, Performance Improvement Strategies in Clinical Depression.

"Med-IQ is dedicated to improving healthcare quality in the United States by providing accessible, practice-focused CME/CE interventions that are timely, effective, and relevant to clinicians’ needs and address issues that will lead to better patient care," said William A. Mencia, MD, CCMEP, Vice President of Education and Medical Affairs at Med-IQ. “Outcomes of this initiative suggest that participants are better equipped to manage patients with depression and help lessen the burden of their disease. We are pleased to have partnered with NCQA to provide comprehensive enduring education in depression that has resulted in improvements in clinician performance. This publication represents another example that further validates the value and importance of CME’s role in improving both the provision of healthcare and patient outcomes.”

The outcomes of the initiative will be published in an upcoming issue of Journal of Psychiatric Practice®. This published manuscript represents Med-IQ’s 23rd accepted publication in the area of performance and quality improvement.

A Performance Improvement Initiative Enhancing the Care of Patients With Depression

Authors:
Michael E. Thase, MD
Stephanie A. Stowell, MPhil
Carolyn A. Berry, PhD
William A. Mencia, MD
Julie Blum, PhD

The goal of the PI CME initiative was to provide psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and other healthcare professionals who are involved in the care of patients with depression the opportunity to assess their practice methods against nationally recognized quality measures and their peers’ practice in an effort to identify areas of improvement to enhance patient care.

The activity, which was free of charge to participants, followed the American Medical Association (AMA) PI CME model and included a three-stage process in which participants conducted retrospective patient chart reviews in Stage A, developed a personalized practice improvement plan in Stage B, and conducted a second set of retrospective chart reviews in Stage C. The activity was approved as part of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology's (ABPN) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program and met the Board's Performance in Practice (PIP) requirements.

More than 1,000 psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and other healthcare professionals enrolled in the activity. Through evaluation of 4,252 patient charts, participants demonstrated clinically significant improvements in the following:

  • Using standardized depression screening criteria (initial and reassessment)
  • Documenting screening results and suicide risk assessment
  • Assisting in identifying and documenting of self-management goals in patients
  • Assessing patient adherence to antidepressants
 
Depression PI CME Participant Testimonials
 
“Very comprehensive program, I am grateful to have been able to participate in it.”
 
“This was an excellent program and I also appreciate the individual response rather than the computer analysis. I also appreciate that the real MOC requirements of patient and peer feedback are built in. It is a real benefit to work in the patient and peer review activities.”
 
“This was a great MOC. Please develop more. I really appreciate the check-up reminders and follow-up by e-mail. In some way, it actually made it more interactive and personable. I felt very connected throughout. Thanks so much!”
 
“It was a wonderful experience with my first PI activity and I feel confident and excited about doing others as it is very informative and educational.”
 

Journal of Psychiatric Practice® combines clinically applicable reviews, case studies, and articles on treatment advances with practical and informative tips for treating patients. To learn more about the journal, visit http://journals.lww.com/practicalpsychiatry/pages/default.aspx.

To speak with a Med-IQ representative about PI CME initiatives, please contact Catherine Mullaney at 443 543 5101 or cbretz@med-iq.com.

This activity was approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and was supported by an educational grant from Lilly USA, LLC. (Note: commercial supporter name has changed since the time of grant approval.)

About Med-IQ

Med-IQ, America's most respected provider of continuing medical education (CME), inspires healthcare professionals through award-winning activities 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.

Med-IQ, a leader in the development of performance improvement (PI) and quality improvement (QI) CME initiatives, has been recognized by the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions for our excellence in CE research (William Campbell Felch Award 2013, 2011), educational collaborations (2013), outstanding CME outcomes assessment (2012), and exceptional leadership (Leadership Award 2013, President’s Award 2012). To learn more about Med-IQ, visit www.Med-IQ.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and connect with us on LinkedIn.


For more information, contact:

Catherine B. Mullaney, MHA
Vice President, Educational Partnerships
Med-IQ
866 858 7434
info@med-iq.com