The Managed Care Review Board® - Examining Novel Therapies and Quality Improvement Initiatives for the Treatment of Heart Failure

• Release Date: March 31, 2017
• Expiration Date: September 30, 2018
• Estimated Time to Complete Activity: 1.5 hours
• Compatible with all modern browsers and mobile devices

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY

Jeffrey Borer, MD Professor of Medicine, Cell Biology, Radiology, and Surgery Director, The Howard Gilman Institute for Heart Valve Disease Director, Schiavone Cardiovascular Translational Research Institute State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate Medical Center Adjunct Professor and Attending Physician, Cardiothoracic Surgery Weill Medical College of Cornell University Click here for biography Jeffrey D. Dunn, PharmD, MBA Vice President, Clinical Strategy and Programs and Industry Relations MagellanRx Management Click here for biography John Fox, MD, MHA Vice President, Associate Chief Medical Officer Medical Affairs Priority Health Click here for biography Fadia Tohme-Shaya, PhD, MPH Professor Vice Chair for Academic Affairs University of Maryland School of Pharmacy Click here for biography

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Medical Directors and Pharmacy Directors from health plans, HMOs, integrated health systems, employers, quality organizations, and other managed care organizations (MCOs)
• Managed care-affiliated care team members involved with patient evaluation, education, and follow-up for heart failure patients including: physicians, pharmacists, and nurses

Statement of Need/Program Overview
Annually, >1 million patients are hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of heart failure (HF), and HF is the leading cause of hospitalization among adults >65 years of age in the United States. This HF-associated hospitalization represents a noteworthy driver of health care-related costs for managed care stakeholders, and serves as a surrogate marker for increasing mortality. Rehospitalization, despite dramatic improvement in outcomes with medical therapy, is also not uncommon: at least half of patients are readmitted to a hospital within 6 months of discharge. This exemplifies a key area of interest for payers across all disease states, since reducing readmission rates also reduces costs and indicates an improvement in the quality of care.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe the available efficacy and safety data for emerging therapies in heart failure (HF), including results from pivotal trials and evidence supporting averted HF-related hospitalizations and/or death
• Apply appropriate positioning and utilization management criteria to facilitate judicious and effective utilization of emerging therapies for HF
• Discuss available HF quality measures from nationally recognized governing bodies as well as from other health plans across the nation
• Illustrate opportunities for HF quality improvement in health plan operations and infrastructure and implement measures to facilitate evidence-based prescribing and follow-up
• Characterize the importance of addressing noncardiac comorbidities and overseeing care transitions as they pertain to maintaining therapeutic persistence and improving outcomes
• Develop collaborative strategies for HF management enlisting the input and support of a multidisciplinary team of health care providers

ACCREDITATION

Physician Continuing Medical Education

Accreditation Statement
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 Medical Education Resources, Inc. and Impact Education, LLC. Medical Education Resources, Inc. is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation
Medical Education Resources, Inc. designates this enduring web activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Pharmacist Continuing Education

	Accreditation Statement  Medical Education Resources, Inc. (MER) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

Credit Designation
MER designates this continuing education activity for 1.5 contact hours (0.15 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
Universal Activity Number - 0816-9999-17-091-H01-P
This activity is certified as Knowledge-based CPE.

Nursing Continuing Education
Medical Education Resources, Inc. is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

This CE activity provides 1.5 contact hours of continuing nursing education.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 12299, for 1.5 contact hours.

DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the Food and Drug Administration. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
It is the policy of Medical Education Resources, Inc. to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. In accordance with this policy, Medical Education Resources, Inc. identifies conflicts of interest with its instructors, content managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of an activity. Conflicts are resolved by Medical Education Resources, Inc. to ensure that all scientific research referred to, reported, or used in a continuing education activity conforms to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis.

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this continuing education activity:

The planners and managers reported the following financial relationships or relationships they or their spouse/ life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this continuing education activity:

DISCLAIMER
The content and views presented in this educational activity are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Medical Education Resources, Inc., Impact Education, LLC, and/or Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. The authors have disclosed if there is any discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA in their presentations. The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of Medical Education Resources, Inc., Impact Education, LLC, and/or Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Before prescribing any medicine, primary references and full prescribing information should be consulted. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION AND REQUEST FOR CREDIT
There are no fees for participating and receiving CME/CE credit for this activity. During the period March 31, 2017 through September 30, 2018, participants must 1) read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures; 2) study the educational activity; 3) successfully complete the post-test with a score of 70% or better; 4) and complete the evaluation form. Upon completion of the full CME/CE activity, your certificate will be made available immediately to download and print.

For Pharmacists: Upon successfully completing the post-test with a score of 70% or better and the activity evaluation form, you may immediately submit your CPE credit to the NABP CPE Monitor Service. This may require you to add or update the e-profile ID/date of birth information saved in your account.

MEDIA
Internet

FEE INFORMATION
There is no fee for this educational activity.