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AAMCN Online Education



Managing Comorbidities Through Smoking Cessation Health care providers need to recognize the impact of smoking cessation on the overall health of a patient and to identify methods to increase success in a smoking cessation program. Successful smoking cessation programs should include a combination of strategies such as pharmacotherapy, cognitive strategies, behavioral strategies, withdrawal management, and social support. CME valid to October 15, 2008	Managing Hyperlipidemia: An Evidence-Based Approach To best manage patients with hyperlipidemia, clinicians need to use an evidence based approach. Based on the evidence, statins are the medications of choice for most patients who need lipid lowering therapy. The presence of various risk factors will determine the appropriate LDL goal for a particular patient. Some patients can benefit from aggressive lipid lowering. CME valid to October 25, 2008
Please visit the Corporate Member Directory for more continuing educational opportunities	Psoriasis Treatment Review Psoriasis can be a devastating disease both physically and emotionally. Treatments are available to help many patients with psoriasis. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines to define severe disease or what are preferred treatments. Additionally, there is now a way to predict which patients will respond to which treatments. Biologics are transforming the treatment of this disease. CME valid to April 15, 2009
Managing Anemia in Chemotherapy Concerns about the risk of decreased survival and increased thromboembolism with erythropoiesis stimulating agents have developed in recent years. Updated guidelines for the use of these agents in cancer and new black box warnings have occurred as a result of these concerns. The guidelines note that the available agents have similar efficacy and that evolving information about risks must be considered. CME valid to March 15, 2009	Medical & Economic Impact of a Respiratory Syncytial Virus Outbreak RSV has emerged as a formidable pathogen akin to influenza, parainfluenza and rhinovirus as causing significant life changing or life threatening infections. The most affected populations are the very young and the very old. Prophylaxis of RSV infection is safe and efficacious but the cost effectiveness of one available agent, palivizumab, is controversial. CME valid to April 10, 2009
Healthcare Transitions: Trends in Quality Outcomes & Performance Measures – Pay for Performance Few pay for performance programs were in existence before 2001. Today these programs are flourishing and are evolving. These programs are flourishing primarily because of CMS efforts. There are several challenges with pay for performance including incredible variation in the programs across the nation and continuing issues of how to define, measure, and reward quality performance. CME valid to March 1, 2009	Determining Bioequivalency in Similar Bipharmaceuticals Protein biologicals are complex pharmaceutical drugs produced by and purified from living organisms. Medical institutions, government agencies and private sector third party payers are currently faced with a variety of issues about the relative properties and merits of different biological products, particularly products with similar mechanisms of actions. This presentation will provide methods of determining equivalency in comparing similar biopharmaceuticals. CME valid to March 1, 2009
Asthma – Getting to the Guidelines Asthma is a significant illness in terms of costs, morbidity, and mortality. Although clinical practice guidelines have been around for several years, numerous studies have shown that adoption of these guidelines is not optimal. An update of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma guidelines was published in the summer of 2007. The major changes to the guidelines include breaking down recommendations into more age groups (0-4, 5-11, 12 and older), redefining how to assess disease control, and recommending allergy and specialist evaluation for many patients. Some changes to the medication recommendations were also made. Programs to help practitioners adopt the asthma management guidelines should help managed care save significant health care expenses. CME valid to February 1, 2009.	Targeted Therapy in Cancer Targeted cancer therapy is evolving rapidly and is changing the choice of regimen in many cancers from an empiric guess to a predictive choice. Although many agents are currently available, many more are in the development pipeline. Each of these agents targets one or more of the hallmarks that drive cancer growth. Although they may be somewhat less toxic then traditional chemotherapy, these agents are not without adverse effects. CME valid to March 1, 2009.
Estimating the Health and Economic Impact of HPV Vaccination Prevention and vaccinations are valuable tools to population health, but what are the cost implications for managed care? This presentation will provide analysis and impact of implementation of health economics model for HPV vaccination. CME valid to March 31, 2009	Health Economic Implications of Wound Care and Limb Preservation Ulcers and the subsequent consequences are costly to the health care system. Prevention of ulcers is important in all diabetic patients. Once an ulcer occurs, it must be treated quickly and aggressively to prevent amputation. One option for limb preservation is the use of negative pressure wound therapy to promote faster healing, get patients out of the hospital faster, and reduce overall costs. CME Valid to July 1, 2009
Obesity Management Currently, obesity is the number one health problem in the U.S. Although lifestyle changes and anti-obesity medications can result in modest weight loss, this loss is generally not sufficient for the severely obese patient. Weight loss surgeries such as laproscopic adjustable gastric banding are proving to be efficacious for the morbidly obese patient. CME Valid to July 15, 2009	Management of Alzheimer's Disease in the Managed Care Setting There are some strategies that managed care organizations may want to implement that can help address both the inadequacies in care and the cost challenges of Alzheimer’s disease. Medications can play a significant role in reducing overall costs of Alzheimer’s care. CME Valid to July 1, 2008
Diagnosis & Management of Obesity and other Cardio Metabolic Risk Factors There is a lot of discussion on cardiometabolic risk factors, but what are they and how does this impact my population? Dr. Davis will provide information on managing the risk factors AND the patient to bring about healthier outcomes CME Valid to July 15, 2008	Practical Issues in Multiple Sclerosis Optimal Patient Management Strategies Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common cause of disability in young adults. Although not curable, effective immunomodulators, which alter the development of disability, are available and should be initiated early in the disease process. Optimizing care of patients with MS requires frequent assessments and a team approach. CME Valid to July 31, 2008
Understanding HIV/AIDS Testing and Its Impact on Treatment New guidelines have been published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that recommend more extensive population screening for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The major changes in the testing recommendations include testing a wider range of people, using an opt-out method for consent rather than opt-in, and eliminating the need for an HIV specific consent for testing. There are significant cost implications to expanded testing which will identify more cases at an earlier point in the disease process. CME valid to June 1, 2008	A Discussion on Wellness & Prevention Modern societies manufacture chronic disease that in some cases can be prevented. What are the costs and benefits of prevention? This presentation will provide the participant with methods of prevention and lessons learned. CME valid to October 31, 2008
Advances in Systemic Therapy for Colorectal Cancer Colon cancer is an immensely complex disease whose treatment is changing rapidly. The treatment advances in the past five years have been tremendous. Significant effort is currently ongoing to determine how to optimally manage each patient. There are frequently updated clinical guidelines to help guide appropriate treatment decisions but, flexibility must be maintained in order to optimize treatment for the individual. CEU valid to June 15, 2008	Acute Coronary Syndrome One of the most powerful manifestations of atherosclerosis is acute coronary syndrome. Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is an endpoint of atherosclerosis, which results in limited blood flow to the heart muscle resulting in symptoms (chest pain) and or hemodynamic decompensation. ACS requires early recognition and aggressive intervention. A combination of surgical interventions and pharmacologic therapy is used to reopen obstructed coronary vessels and decrease morbidity and mortality related to ACS. CEU valid to May 31, 2008