The Specialty Pharmacy Review Board™ — Assessing the Value of Novel Therapies and Care Management Strategies for Multiple Sclerosis

• Release Date: June 9, 2017
• Expiration Date: December 31, 2018
• Estimated Time to Complete Activity: 1.0 hour
• Compatible with all modern browsers and mobile devices

REVIEW BOARD FACULTY

James Kenney, Jr., RPh, MBA Manager, Specialty and Pharmacy Contracts Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Click here for biography Scott Newsome, DO, MSCS Director, Neurology Outpatient Services Director, Neurology Infusion Center Division of Neuroimmunology and Neuroinfectious Diseases Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Click here for biography Kenneth Schaecher, MD, FACP, CPC Medical Director Select Health Click here for biography Fadia Tohme-Shaya, PhD, MPH Professor and 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 patients with multiple sclerosis including: physicians, pharmacists, registered nurses, and case managers

STATEMENT OF NEED/PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease that requires a collaborative approach to care to achieve optimal patient care and outcomes. Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are a core component of MS management. Due to a lack of head-to-head trials it is difficult to determine which therapy would be most effective for MS; however, it is possible to evaluate current therapies based on their effects on sustained disability, relapse rate, lesion load, brain atrophy, and cognitive dysfunction. Members of the clinical team, as well as patients, need to coordinate these efforts when choosing the appropriate therapy and continually monitor the disease while managing symptoms and the psychological aspects of the disease. Therefore, it is important for specialty pharmacists and managed care professionals to be aware of and engaged in the care and treatment of patients with MS.

The educational format of The Specialty Pharmacy Review Board™ will feature a multi-specialty, multi-professional faculty that collaborate, under the leadership of an Activity Chair, on the review of the clinical data, current guidelines, and economic data of a class of therapeutics.

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

• Apply current evidence-based diagnosis and treatment data to optimize clinical outcomes for patients with MS in a managed care setting
• Evaluate quality standards, health care policy, and benefit designs to enhance clinical and economic outcomes for patients with MS
• Employ care management strategies to boost adherence to treatment plans and improve overall care coordination for MS
• Provide accurate and appropriate counsel as part of the managed care treatment team

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. (MER) and Impact Education, LLC. MER is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation
Medical Education Resources, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 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 1.0 contact hours (0.10 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education. Universal Activity Number - 0816-9999-17-097-H01-P.

Type of Activity: Knowledge

Nursing Continuing Education

Accreditation Statement
Medical Education Resources, Inc. (MER) is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. MER is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider #CEP 12299.

Credit Designation
This CE activity provides 1.0 contact hours of continuing nursing education.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
It is the policy of Medical Education Resources, Inc. (MER) to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. In accordance with this policy, MER 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 MER 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 to products or devices 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 to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this continuing education activity:

DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. 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.

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 CPE credit for this activity. During the period June 9, 2017 through December 31, 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 activity evaluation, 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.