New Strategies to Improve Managed Care Outcomes for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

• Release date: January 14, 2011
• Expiration date: January 14, 2012
• Estimated time to complete activity: 1.0 hour
• Compatible with (IE 6 and up, Firefox, Safari)

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, pharmacists, and other care providers involved in the management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Statement of Need/Program Overview

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a potentially debilitating disease that affects approximately 1.3 million individuals in the United States. An inflammatory condition causing pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of function in the joints, RA can have a significant negative impact on physical function, workplace performance, and quality of life in patients suffering from the disease. While these outcomes are difficult for patients and their families, it also has consequences for health care systems, including increased financial burdens on an already strained health care system. This activity will utilize expert clinical and managed care faculty to discuss the possibility of slowing or halting the progression of RA, thereby reducing the ensuing joint damage and potentially moving patients toward clinical remission.

Educational Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe the implications of treatment and non-treatment of RA
• Discuss the clinical implications of the treatment of RA with advanced biologic and specialty products
• Evaluate the utility of current and emerging cost-effectiveness analyses for the treatment of RA
• Describe the impact of anti-TNF agents regarding disease stabilization and improvement in patients with RA
• Describe emerging techniques such as HIT and collaborative interventions in the treatment of RA

Distinguished Faculty

John Cruickshank, DO, MBA, CPE Chief Medical Officer Lovelace Health Plan Click here for biography

Jeffrey D. Dunn, PharmD, MBA Formulary and Contract Manager SelectHealth, Inc. Click here for biography

Brian R. Kaye, MD Clinical Professor of Medicine University of California, San Francisco Click here for biography

Physician Continuing Medical Education

Physician Accreditation Statement:
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) and Impact Education, LLC. PIM is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation:
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Pharmacist Continuing Education

Pharmacist Accreditation Statement

	Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

Credit Designation
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this continuing education activity for 1.0 contact hours (.10 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

• (Universal Activity Number - 0809-9999-10-166-H01-P)

Activity Type

Knowledge-based.

Fee Information

There is no fee for this educational activity.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) assesses conflict of interest with its instructors, planners, managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of CME activities. All relevant conflicts of interest that are identified are thoroughly vetted by PIM for fair balance, scientific objectivity of studies utilized in this activity, and patient care recommendations. PIM is committed to providing its learners with high quality CME activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest.

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 CME 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 CME activity:

Method of Participation and Request for Credit

There are no fees for participating and receiving CME/CE credit for this activity. During the period January 14, 2011 through January 14, 2012, participants must 1) read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures; 2) study the educational activity; 3) successfully complete the online posttest and; 4) complete the online evaluation form. Upon successful completion of the post test (70% or better) and evaluation, an online certificate will be made available immediately.

To access the post test, evaluation and to obtain your CME/CE certification, please go to CME University at: www.cmeuniversity.com , then register or login. Once logged in, click on "Find Post-Test / Evaluation by Course" in the left navigation menu, and type in 7608, click on the activity title when it appears. Upon successful completion of the post-test and evaluation, your certificate will be made available immediately. .

If you wish to receive acknowledgment for completing this activity, please complete the post-test and evaluation form at: www.cmeuniversity.com. On the navigation menu, click on "Find Post-tests by Course" and search by project ID 7608. Upon successfully completing the post-test and evaluation, your certificate will be made available immediately.

Media

Internet

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. Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM), Impact Education, LLC, and Amgen Inc. 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 PIM, Impact Education, LLC, and Amgen Inc. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other course 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.