BALTIMORE, MD—Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a nationwide epidemic that has created a crisis for the healthcare system and society. An estimated 9.3% of the United States population—29.1 million individuals—have diabetes, and $245 billion in annual direct and indirect costs can be attributed to this condition.

Healthcare professionals play a vital role in helping patients with diabetes manage the disease and its complications to improve long-term health outcomes and quality of life. Keeping abreast of current consensus statements and evidence-based clinical guidelines is key to providing optimal, timely care, yet doing so can be challenging because of the multiple demands on clinicians’ time, the evolving understanding of the disease, and the expanding number of available treatment strategies.

In 2011, Med-IQ, an award-winning, ACCME-accredited provider of continuing medical education (CME), in collaboration with the Endocrine Society, launched a complimentary performance improvement (PI) CME initiative for healthcare professionals. With leadership from Endocrine Society experts to help steer the initiative, the activity was designed to foster improved adherence to guideline recommendations and current evidence for the care of patients with T2DM. The initiative was available to healthcare providers for nearly 2 years. The Journal of Primary Care & Community Health published the outcomes of this initiative in its April 2014 issue. This published manuscript represents Med-IQ’s 24th publication in the areas of performance and quality improvement.

Continuing Improvement in Type 2 Diabetes Care Through Performance-Based Evaluations

Authors:
Howard B. A. Baum, MD
Enrico Cagliero, MD
Carolyn A. Berry, PhD
William A. Mencia, MD
Stephanie A. Stowell, MPhil
Sara C. Miller, MS

The goal of the Diabetes PI CME initiative was to provide healthcare professionals who are involved in the care of patients with T2DM the opportunity to assess their practice methods against current evidence, expert consensus, and their peers’ practice in an effort to identify areas of improvement to enhance patient care.

The activity, which was free of charge to participants, followed the American Medical Association (AMA) PI CME model and included a three-stage process in which participants conducted retrospective patient chart reviews in Stage A, developed a personalized practice improvement plan in Stage B, and conducted a second set of retrospective chart reviews in Stage C. The activity was approved through the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Approved Quality Improvement (AQI) Pathway and was eligible for 20 points towards the Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance requirement of Maintenance of Certification (MOC).

More than 675 healthcare professionals enrolled in the activity. Through evaluation of 3,200 patient charts, participants demonstrated improvements in the following:

  • Mean HbA1C values decreased and more patients had HbA1C values < 7.0% post-intervention
  • Improvements were made in overall HbA1C testing, recommendations for self-monitoring blood glucose, and provision of sick-day instructions
  • A decrease was seen in the percentage of patients with high blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values
  • A greater percentage of patients with blood pressure or LDL-C values above goal received adjustments to their pharmacologic therapies in the post-intervention assessment

Diabetes PI CME Participant Testimonials

  • “The data collection [process] and the comparison with peers were very helpful.”
  • “Helped me better organize my DM care and documentation which improved my patient care.”
  • “[Concierge] support was great. Keeps the human touch alive. When it becomes too mechanized, the fun of learning disappears.”
  • “I appreciated the feedback and the format.”
  • “Well worth my time.”

“As an accredited provider of CME, Med-IQ strives to offer high-quality, relevant education for healthcare professionals that supports one of the National Quality Strategy’s primary objectives to provide measurable and improved healthcare delivered in environments that are more patient-centered, reliable, accessible, and safe,” said William A. Mencia, MD, CCMEP, vice president of education and medical affairs at Med-IQ. “We are pleased to report that the results of our Diabetes PI CME initiative have shown significant changes in clinician performance of key quality measures in patients with T2DM.”

The Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, published quarterly, offers peer-reviewed evidence about the practice, impact, and outcomes of primary care services and community health programs. Evidence in the form of hypothesis-testing studies is presented, either in the form of pilot projects or larger intervention projects. This facilitates exchange of new information and approaches to assessing performance and bridges the gap between medicine and public health at the grass-roots level.

Access this article in the April 2014 issue of the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health.

To speak with a Med-IQ representative about PI CME initiatives, please contact Catherine Mullaney at 443 543 5101 or cbretz@med-iq.com.

This activity was approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and was supported by an educational grant from Lilly USA, LLC. (Note: commercial supporter name has changed since the time of grant approval.)

 

About Med-IQ

Med-IQ, America’s most respected provider of continuing medical education (CME), inspires healthcare professionals through award-winning activities that deliver sophisticated outcomes-based educational designs with measurable results in professional competence and performance. Med-IQ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the California Board of Registered Nursing (CBRN), and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing medical education to physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, respectively.

Med-IQ, a leader in the development of performance improvement (PI) and quality improvement (QI) CME initiatives, has been recognized by the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions for our excellence in CE research (William Campbell Felch Award 2013, 2011), educational collaborations (2013), outstanding CME outcomes assessment (2012), and exceptional leadership (Leadership Award 2013, President’s Award 2012). To learn more about Med-IQ, visit www.Med-IQ.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and connect with us on LinkedIn.

About the Endocrine Society

Founded in 1916, the Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology.  Today, the Endocrine Society’s membership consists of over 17,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Washington, DC. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endocrine.org. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/EndoMedia.

For more information, contact:

Amy Caswell
Senior Audience Development Manager
Med-IQ
866 858 7434
info@med-iq.com

Med-IQ
Inspiring Medical Education.