CDC to Provide HIV CME to Primary Care Physicians Via Pri-Med

Pri‐Med, owned and operated by M|C Communications is a leading provider of professional education solutions to a community of over 248,000 primary care clinicians, recently announced that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has chosen the Pri‐Med platform to educate and inform thousands of primary care physicians on strategies to employ routine HIV screening and diagnosis in primary care practice, a component of the CDC’s broader Act Against AIDS campaign. 

The education program, “HIV Screening for Patients: 13‐64: A Guide for Primary Care Providers”, provides an open dialogue among clinician experts and primary care physicians on how to simplify routine HIV screening in practice and incorporate new technologies in HIV testing. According to the CDC’s 2006 Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing for adults, adolescents, and pregnant women in the health care setting, the CDC advises routine HIV screening in health care settings for all patients’ 13‐64 years old. 

Studies indicate that approximately 20% of people with HIV are unaware of their HIV status, making them much more likely to transmit the virus to others. Primary care physicians play a pivotal role in fighting the HIV epidemic on the front lines through the adoption of routine screening in practice. 

The program was first introduced in February 2011 during the pmiCME Updates Day at Pri‐Med Conference & Exhibition South in Fort Lauderdale, FL with over 550 PCPs engaging with four leading experts in a 90 minute panel discussion. 

Participant feedback was positive and underscores even more the need and value of the program with 96% reporting that the program will help them improve the quality of patient care. For example, one physician commented after the program, “My clinical setting is primarily adolescents and young adults. I will add HIV screening to routine screening labs”, and another said, “I will certainly offer more screening in people without obvious risk”. 

The initiative continued on June 9th, 2011 at Pri‐Med Access in Philadelphia, and may again be held at other Pri‐Med programs this Fall. The cities will continue to be selected based on areas of high disease prevalence. 

To expand upon the educational experience, representatives from the CDC make themselves available onsite to provide additional tools and resources for incorporating HIV testing into primary care settings. 

“We are proud to have the opportunity to assist the CDC with this important initiative, said Marissa Seligman, CCMP, PharmD, Chief Clinical & Regulatory Affairs and Compliance Officer, M|C Holding Corp, Senior Vice President, pmiCME. Building on our longstanding history of connecting clinicians with engaging, relevant education through impactful and convenient formats, we are excited about collaborating with the CDC on the addition of HIV testing strategies to the program line‐up.” 

This effort is consistent with the commitment of Pri‐Med’s broader Open learning initiative designed to advance innovation in professional medical education. As part of this collaborative effort, Pri‐Med seeks to work with organizations across the health care spectrum to identify and deliver new models for creating and funding education for practicing primary care clinicians. This program also leverages previous activities Pri‐Med has conducted with CDC to reach providers.