CME Outfitters Releases Preliminary Outcomes Findings from Quality Improvement Activity on Heart Failure, as Enduring Webcast Launches
Bethesda, MD (PRWEB) June 14, 2017 -- CME Outfitters (CMEO) has released preliminary outcomes findings from a Live and On Demand webcast entitled, Integrating New Options Into Guideline-Directed Management of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction. CMEO is partnering with Catalyst Health Network to develop this quality improvement initiative, which will include data from electronic medical records (EMR) and insurance claims, for an objective measure of the effects of education on hospital readmissions and patient outcomes. Preliminary results for the activity, featuring expert faculty members Ty J. Gluckman, MD, FACC, FAHA, Joseph O. Lambert, MD, Bradley M. Leonard, MD, MBA, FACC, and Tony Willoughby, PharmD, showed improvements in knowledge and behavior among clinicians treating patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
This activity is supported by educational grants from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Amgen, and St. Jude Medical, and is now available online. It features a 60-minute webcast and 30-minute Q&A focusing on guideline-directed therapy for treating patients with heart failure and how to reduce rates of hospital readmission. In addition to the 90-minute enduring webcast, a concise 20-minute activity, known as a “CMEO Snack” is available, which consists of an in-depth online interview with Drs. Lambert and Leonard, including synchronized slides and links to a slide library.
“A primary goal of CMEO is to ensure the patient becomes the focus of education,” said Jan Perez, managing partner of CMEO. “Partnering with Catalyst Health for this quality improvement activity enables us to access patient EMR and insurance claims data and tie them to the educational outcomes of the activity. This will give us a true, objective measure of the effect of the educational activity on patient outcomes.”
Preliminary outcomes findings showed improvements in knowledge and behavior among participating clinicians. Knowledge improvements included a 58% relative increase (post- vs. pre-activity) in participants who correctly recognized which factor was most important in demonstrating treatment efficacy, 58% more participants recognized the comparative benefits of treatment for heart failure, 118% more participants identified rate of heart failure hospitalizations in a clinical trial, and 76% recognized reasons for hospital readmissions for heart failure patients. When comparing pre-activity practice behavior against post-activity intended behavior, 174% more participants utilized (or planned to) practice guidelines when making treatment decisions for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. In addition, although 23% of participants indicated that at least one-quarter of patients were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge, 85% vowed to implement measures to reduce rates of readmission. In activity evaluations, 71% said the activity would change their practice and 74% said at least half of the content was new to them.
Participants of the webcast provided rave reviews of the content: “This is finally a real program that didn’t just talk about quality of care but gave examples,” “Great program. Appreciated that this was the data but more importantly focused on changes we can do and even weaved in MACRA and MIPS,” “I am a clinician at Catalyst and realized there are resources that I don’t utilize and need to so that I can provide best care for patients,” and “This was one of the more concise, informative webinars I have seen. I love the incorporation of the pharmacist to show how a team based approach can improve outcomes. Thanks!”
The enduring video replay of this webcast is now available for CE credit, free of charge. For more information or to participate in this activity, click here. To participate in the 20-minute snack, click here. For a full list of upcoming or available activities, visit http://www.cmeoutfitters.com.
About CME Outfitters, LLC
CME Outfitters develops and distributes live, recorded and web-based, outcomes- and evidence-based educational activities to thousands of clinicians each year and offers expert accreditation and outcome services for non-accredited organizations. CME Outfitters focuses on delivering education to specialty audiences, with strong expertise in neuroscience, inflammatory, infectious, and autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular disease. For a complete list of certified activities and more information, visit http://www.cmeoutfitters.com or call 877.CME.PROS (877.263.7767).
“CME Outfitters …
Improving Clinical Behavior … One Change at a Time”
Anna Larkin, CME Outfitters LLC, 614-328-4529, [email protected]
Share this article