Rockpointe has launched a new CME/CNE-certified webcourse designed for MS specialists, neurologists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who manage patients with MS (www.rockpointe.com/MSpatientengagement). The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates that 250,000 to 350,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and that about 200 new cases are diagnosed each week. The chronic disease can affect the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves and can impair vision, balance, muscle control, and other basic body functions. MS is the most common neurological cause of debilitation in young and middle-aged adults and affects two to three times as many women as men.
The clinical benefits of early, aggressive treatment in MS have been demonstrated via slower progression of disease and improved patient quality of life. Disease-free status, or “no evidence of disease activity” (NEDA), is now a realistic treatment goal. However, with 15 current FDA-approved disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) available, personalizing selection of the optimal agent for each patient can be difficult.
Achieving New Treatment Goals in Multiple Sclerosis: Strategies for Initial Treatment Selection and Patient Engagement will provide clinicians with current evidence on biomarker development, comparative treatment effectiveness, monitoring, and maintenance regimens. Participants will explore safety and efficacy data for current and emerging DMTs and NEDA treatment goals. Because of the long-term nature of MS management, effective patient engagement is crucial to achieve the best possible outcomes. The activity incorporates the patient perspective and will provide physicians with strategies to foster patient engagement within the time constraints of the typical patient visit.
Suhayl Dhib-Jalbut, MD, chairman of the Department of Neurology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ, and Machteld E. Hillen, MD, of Rutgers NJ Medical School in Newark, NJ, present the activity along with Alina Ahsan, community manager at Health Union, LLC for the online platform MultipleSclerosis.net, and patient advocate Laura Kolaczkowski, who was diagnosed with MS in 2008.
Clinicians who manage MS patients will improve their practices by:
- Recognizing the benefits of starting an optimal DMT early enough to achieve the new treatment goal of NEDA.
- Applying current evidence to select a personalized DMT approach with appropriate modifications based on disease activity.
- Implementing practical strategies for improving patient engagement in management plans.
This program is designed to address the Institute of Medicine (IOM) competencies of providing patient-centered care and employing evidence-based practice. Its enduring online format allows participants to view the presentation at their own convenience, from the comfort of their home or office.
For physicians, PCME designates this online enduring activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. For nurses, CMSC designates this activity for 1.0 nursing CE credit.
This activity, which is available through July 15, 2019, is supported by an educational grant from Sanofi Genzyme and, in support of patient care, has been planned and implemented by CMSC and Rockpointe. CMSC is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
In support of physicians, this activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the ACCME through the joint providership of PCME and Rockpointe. PCME is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
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, including implementing MACRA, combatting the nation’s opioid crisis, and utilizing technical advances that improve care. 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 view Achieving New Treatment Goals in Multiple Sclerosis: Strategies for Initial Treatment Selection and Patient Engagement, go to www.rockpointe.com/MSpatientengagement or click here.