Obesity and COVID-19 in the Outpatient Setting: Accredited CME webinars to educate clinicians to better manage patients with obesity amid the COVID-19 pandemic

With confirmed U.S. cases of COVID-19 close to 4.0 million and new SARS-CoV-2 infections surging across the nation’s Sun Belt, patients with obesity stand at greater risk of suffering more severe symptoms than the general population.

Rockpointe, in collaboration with MEDCHI – the Maryland State Medical Society – and state medical societies, with joint provider the Potomac Center for Medical Education (PCME), and the Maryland Nurses Association (MNA), and supported through an educational grant from Novo Nordisk Inc. will host three live CME/CE-certified, MOC-eligible webinars designed to help clinicians counsel  patients with obesity about preventing infection and how to manage those who have COVID-19

The understanding of COVID-19’s pathophysiology and treatment continues to evolve, and clinicians must remain current to know how recommended therapies work and optimize their use as they become available. The European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) is developing guidance and recommends that clinicians continue to implement obesity management strategies despite social distancing or quarantine. Multiple studies have demonstrated the increased risks of severe COVID-19 disease that patients with obesity face; clinicians should consider the physiological, anatomical, and psychological factors that underly this increased risk.

Obesity and COVID-19 in the Outpatient Setting: What Clinicians Need to Know will provide information that clinicians require to appropriately advise patients with obesity on how to avoid infection, monitor patients with obesity who develop COVID-19, and recognize and manage complications as they occur to minimize morbidity and mortality. This hour-long program will be offered on three dates and times:

Wednesday, August 12, 2020
4:00 – 5:00 PM ET (3:00 – 4:00 PM CT / 1:00 – 2:00 PM PT)

Tuesday, August 25, 2020
1:00 – 2:00 PM ET (12:00 Noon – 1:00 PM CT / 10:00 – 11:00 AM PT)

Thursday, September 17, 2020
7:00 – 8:00 PM ET (6:00 – 7:00 PM CT / 4:00 – 5:00 PM PT)

This educational initiative is intended for clinicians responsible for the daily management of patients with obesity. Faculty will discuss the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and factors that increase the risks for patients with obesity, then turn to strategies for managing patients with obesity during the pandemic, followed by a Q&A session.

“This series demonstrates the importance of education on conditions such as obesity and the need for clinicians to better understand how to treat and protect patients with obesity with COVID-19.  This is only possible with the many organizations working together to see education in this area and the funding support from Novo Nordisk Inc.”  Thomas Sullivan, President Rockpointe

The program is designed to address ACGME and NAM competencies, including delivering patient-centered care and practicing evidence-based medicine, and to address ACPE competencies, including foundational knowledge, essentials for practice and care, and approach to practice and care. At its conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Discuss the most current understanding of the pathophysiology of COVID-19.
• Describe factors that increase the risks of COVID-19 for patients with obesity.
• Develop strategies for individualized management of patients with obesity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Provide counsel to patients with obesity regarding concerns or fears related to COVID-19.

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of PCME and Rockpointe. The Potomac Center for Medical Education designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 Medical Knowledge MOC point in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity.

PCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education and designates this knowledge-based activity for a maximum of 1.0 contact hour (0.10 CEU) of continuing education credit.

This activity has been submitted to the Maryland Nurses Association for approval to award contact hours. The Maryland Nurses Association is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

There is no fee for this activity, which is supported by an educational grant from Novo Nordisk Inc. To receive credit, participants must register, view the live CME/CE activity in its entirety, and then complete the post-test, with a score of 75% or better, and evaluation. The estimated time for completion of this activity is one hour. To receive a certificate, participants must demonstrate mastery of the presented material via the post-test.

Through effective continuing medical education, Rockpointe strives to improve and advance the quality of patient care. Its educational programs have been at the forefront of new issues in healthcare, such as managing challenges posed by COVID-19, addressing racial disparities in care, and combating the nation’s opioid crisis. As part of its commitment to quality, Rockpointe works to inform the continuing-education community of significant quality-improvement issues through news and analysis on Policy and Medicine. In addition, its popular Medical Education Exchange (MEDX) CME regional meetings include sessions on the basics of quality improvement and alternative payment models, as well as relevant and scientifically accurate sessions on numerous disease states. All sessions include links back to associated National Quality Priorities to reinforce the bigger picture and the triple aim of: 1) improving health and 2) lowering cost to 3) better the patient experience. At Rockpointe, education equals quality.

To learn more about or register for Obesity and COVID-19 in the Outpatient Setting, go to https://www.pathlms.com/rockpointe/courses/21193 or click here.