CME's Critical Role in Improving Quality and Outcomes

Over the years, we have emphasized the critical role continuing medical education (CME) provides to improving patient outcomes, reducing healthcare costs, and enhancing the overall quality and efficiency of the U.S. healthcare system—both in terms of more education and proficient physicians and through serving as a conduit for medical progress and innovation.    CME covers a number of topics and disease areas, and has been proven to improve patient outcomes in areas such as multiple sclerosis, hypertension, COPD, ICU patients, improved taking of family history by physician assistants, Sepsis, healthcare-associated infections, reduction in CT scans, and several other areas.   Interestingly, a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) called for new steps to educate physicians about the inefficiencies that cause billions in lost healthcare dollars every year.  More work is needed to ensure doctors are aware of “program integrity” -- a term payers use to refer to losses due to inappropriate payments or exploitation, Shantanu Agrawal, MD, medical director for the Center for Program Integrity at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in Baltimore, and colleagues wrote, as reported by MedPage Today.  “While federal and state governments are vital participants, leaders in medical education, licensure, and specialty certification would ideally work together to ensure that all physicians have sufficient awareness...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs