Bernd Wollschlaeger, M.D., Chair, FMA Committee on CME, Florida Medical Association
“These grant funds make a huge difference. In fact, we would love to see more opportunities like this for our providers. From one of our accredited providers:
"Participation in this grant opportunity offered through the FMA made it possible to see how easy it was to conduct our own personal learning opportunities. Without the grant project, none of the participants would have the experience to develop this type of investigative learning activity in the future. Our participating [professionals'} eyes were opened to what they actually were and were not doing in their own practice; for some it was quite a shock and the activity got them springing into corrective action!"
Linda Wilhelm, Floyd Medical Center, Rome, Georgia
“As our organization shifted to an emphasis on clinical performance improvement, we knew we had to shift our CME measure of success to changes in physician behavior and practice. The Physicians’ Institute’s Collaborative Grants Model provided us with excellent training on ways to transition our program and activities. With the grants, we were able to venture out into electronic learning, point of care learning, and PI CME with documented success. It is my sincere hope that the Physicians’ Institute will be able to continue securing funding for collaborative grants so community-based programs like ours can continue to positively impact the healthcare providers and recipients we serve.”
Rita LePard, Illinois State Medical Society
“Our providers have indicated that the process was educational for them while providing a model that can be replicated in their future educational interventions. Your staff and the consultants were exceptionally professional, accessible, and patient during the learning curve and those of our providers.”
Timothy Holder, MD, Chair ARC, Oklahoma State Medical Association
“Among the strongest aspects of the Collaborative Grants Model are:
• Provision of Outcomes evaluation technology and services
• Consultation on designing and developing creative activities
• Funding for projects that would not otherwise be possible
• Encouragement of collaboration with other organizations which is highly recommended by the ACCME
• Clearer understanding of moving towards the Updated Criteria
Sometimes it seems as if all the focus is on national Providers of CME and those of us who work to support the efforts of community hospitals and local physicians to offer education that meets local needs are forgotten. The building of a coalition of state medical societies and their accredited Providers has been a very worthwhile contribution that the Physicians' Institute has made.”
Howard McMahan, MD, President, Georgia Academy of Family Physicians
“As it has become increasingly difficult to acquire support for Continuing Medical Education (CME) for continuing medical education for physicians, the Physicians’ Institute Collaborative Grants program has become a vital resource, providing grants coupled with training and evaluation services that have enabled meaningful CME. Just as important as receiving the grant funds are the additional services that have included outcomes and performance improvement training, individualized evaluation, and educational design consultation. The training and support services have enabled our organization to conduct performance-based CME, consistent with the ACCME guidelines.”
Frank Sewell, MD, Chair CME Committee, Kentucky Medical Association
“New CME accreditation criteria focus on identifying physician practice gaps that ironically are easy to distinguish, but can't be addressed because of lack of CME funding. The (Physicians’ Institute’s) Collaborative Grant Program has allowed providers to not only address those gaps, but also to measure the effectiveness of educational interventions. A critical operational facet of the Grant Program is the absence of direct "commercial support" influence. The intercession function of the Physicians Institute in providing grant funds constitutes a positive resolution of this issue, which relieves providers of concern and compliance elements.”
Cease Smoking Today Initiative – Selected Outcomes
• Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville, GA
“The outcome analysis showed that 95% of the physicians that participated in some part of the CME series documented that the information provided led them to make changes in their practice.”
• Elkhart General Hospital, Elkhart, Indiana
“…we have implemented a process where every adult patient age 18 and over is contacted by our smoking cessation coordinator for counseling. Data shows that 532 patients have been identified and our contact is at 100%.”
• Vista Health System, Waukegan, IL
“…provider referrals to the Tobacco Treatment Specialist have almost tripled.”
• St Elizabeth Medical Center, Edgewood, KY
“In follow-up, 75% had used new materials and strategies with patients.”
• The University of Arizona Healthcare Partnership, Tucson, Arizona
“In follow-up, 80% of program participants initiated activity change post-program:
• 71% of program participants made a referral to a tobacco cessation program.
• 96% of participants reported better able to provide targeted treatment to patients with tobacco dependence.”
• Fairfax-Falls/Woodburn Mental Health Center, Annandale, VA
“…55 percent increase in the identification of tobacco use or nicotine dependence from pre-seminar to post seminar.”
Diabetes Performance Improvement Initiative – Selected Outcomes
• Tift Regional Medical Center, Tifton, GA
“Foot exams increased by 156%...”
• Integris Baptist, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
“Achieved improvements with more than 1/3 of patients in triglycerides and systolic blood pressure.”
• Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, GA
“In seven months, the three medical offices in the study increased the number of retinal eye exams by 517%.”
Depression and Anxiety Initiative – Selected Outcomes
• Alexian Brothers Hospital Network CME Consortium, Elk Grove Village, Illinois
“67% said that they were increasing their screening of patients.”
• Centrega Health System, McHenry, Illinois
“In follow-up, 37% of physicians had made changes to their protocol to identify depressed patients...”
Cardiac Risk Factors Initiative – Selected Outcomes
• Trover Clinic Foundation, Madisonville, KY
Chart review: “increase in patients with cardiac risk factors obtaining ATP III goal of LDL cholesterol <100 mg/dl.”
• McAlester Regional Health Center, McAlester, Oklahoma
“…chart audits 3 months post-education: …6 of practices improved in patient education and specific screenings”
• Kings Daughters Medical Center, Ashland, Kentucky
Follow-up: “…100% participants reporting the implementation of the guidelines in their cycle of care.”