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Online CME: Rheumatology

Osteoporosis and Fracture Prevention - Experts Responding to Your Questions: Video Q&A (Sponsored Link)
Last visited...8/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...Parts 1 and 2, 0.25 hour each part;  Parts 3 and 4, 0.5 hour each.
Awarded by....Projects in Knowledge.
Cost...........Free.
Instruction Type....Streaming Video (Short talks based on answers to viewers' questions).
Target Audiences...FP, IM, ENDO, OB-GYN, ORTHO, RHEUM.
Educational material last updated.....2010
Financial Support...Amgen.

This 4-part activity offers busy clinicians who have questions about the management of patients with osteoporosis access to faculty experts, who provide answers via video. This activity series features Dr. Dolores Shoback, Dr. Paul Miller, and Dr. Nancy Lane. Topics include the role of bone markers, screening/diagnosis, risk factors for fracture, current treatment strategies, and adherence and monitoring.

Answers in CME
Last visited....6/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...3 activities, each offering 0.25 hour.
Awarded by....University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine and Answers in CME.
Cost for Credit....Free.
Instruction Type....Text-Only. 
Target Audience....RHEUM.
Educational material last updated.....2010.
Financial Support...Various pharmaceutical and device companies.

Three activities: Screening and Diagnosis of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: An Update for Rheumatologists; Management of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: An Update for Rheumatologists; and Addressing Clinician and Patient Barriers to the Management of Chronic Pain: How Can We Achieve Optimal Treatment?

Cleveland Clinic Rheumatology/Immunology
Last visited...3/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours....About 100 activities offering a total of about 100 hours (not counted).
Awarded by....Cleveland Clinic.
Cost..........Free.
Instruct. Type...Slide-Video and Slide-Audio Lectures, Podcasts, Text-Only.
Target Audiences...RHEUM.
Educational material last updated....2010.
Financial Support...Some activities have commercial support.
CME Credit Expires...2 years after posting.

A very extensive selection of CME opportunities in Rheumatology and Immunology. Some recent activities include: Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Are There Two Distinct Diseases?; B Cells, Cytokines, and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Exploring New Therapeutic Strategies; Patients with Pre-existing Malignancy; The Difficult RA Case: Inadequate Response to One or More Biologics; Biologic Therapies: Clinical Implications for Rheumatologists, Gastroenterologists, Allied Health Practitioners; Fall 2009 Conference Update: What's New in Biologics; and Rheumatology Highlights Report - Post 2009 National Meeting: Advances in Basic Science.

CRPHealth.com
Last visited...6/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...3 activities offering a total of 2.5 hours.
Awarded by....University of Wisconsin.
Cost...........Free.
Instruction Type...Slide-Audio.
Target Audiences....CARD, RHEUM
Educational material last updated....2009.
Financial Support...Roche.

While there are about 70 presentations at this site, only 3 offer CME credit. These are: Inflammation and Atherosclerosis – Role of CRP; Gout and the risk for coronary artery disease: The MRFIT study; and Aspirin and Statins in RA - The evidence. 

Fibromyalgia CME

Here is a set of 5 programs on fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia: A Performance Improvement Initiative
Last visited...7/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...20.0.
Awarded by....Johns Hopkins.
Cost........Free.
Instruction Type....Performance Improvement (PI)
Target Audience....RHEUM, PSYCH, PAIN MANAGEMENT and any physician treating fibromyalgia.
Educational material last updated.....2010.
Financial Support...Lilly.

Through this program, you can:
* Increase awareness and understanding of the role and impact of neurotransmitter dysregulation and its relationship to fatigue, cognition, and mood in fibromyalgia patients
* Develop an interdisciplinary treatment approach that looks beyond pain
* Access a variety of learning formats, tools/resources and best practice guidelines specific to the diagnosis and management of fibromyalgia
* Get up-to-date information on fibromyalgia treatment options
* Assess your practice and monitor your progress through self-assessment analytics

Fibromyalgia Continuing Medical Education Programs
Last visited...5/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...14.0.
Awarded by....American Academy of Family Physicians.
Cost........Free.
Instruction Type....Slide-Video Lectures.
Target Audience....RHEUM, PSYCH, PAIN MANAGEMENT and any physician treating fibromyalgia.
Educational material last updated.....2009.
Financial Support...UniHealth Foundation.

This activity is divided into a "Core Modules Package" (3.0 hours) and a "Supportive Modules Package" (4.0 hours). The Core Modules Package includes: Overview of Fibromyalgia; Comprehensive Assessment of Fibromyalgia and Overlapping Conditions; and Pharmacological Management. The Supportive Modules Package includes: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Exercise Training; Nutrition and Fibromyalgia; Biofeedback Training; and Therapeutic Yoga: Body Awareness, Posture, and Movement.

Medscape Fibromyalgia Program
Last visited...7/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...6 activities, each 0.75 hours (total of 4.5 hours)
Awarded by...University of Michigan, NFA, and MedscapeCME.
Cost.........Free.
Instruction Type...Slide-Video Lecture
Target Audience....RHEUM, PSYCH, PAIN MANAGEMENT and any physician treating fibromyalgia.
Educational material last updated....2010.
Financial support...Pfizer and Forest.

These activities include interactive patient case studies that build upon foundational knowledge on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of fibromyalgia provided through a multidisciplinary expert roundtable discussions, consensus monograph, expert video lecture, a series of mini-case clinical challenges on clinically-challenging issues specific to fibromyalgia. 
Two activities are currently available:
Optimal Treatment of Fibromyalgia: Focus on Nonpharmacologic and Pharmacologic Therapies
Comprehensive Assessment of Fibromyalgia and Overlapping Conditions

A Painful Reality: Diagnosis & Treatment of Fibromyalgia & Comorbidities
Last visited...7/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...1.0.
Awarded by....Temple University.
Cost..........Free.
Instruction Type...Slide-Audio Lecture.
Target Audience....FP, IM, PAIN MANAGEMENT and any physician treating fibromyalgia. 
Educational material last updated...2010.
Financial support...Pfizer.

Upon completion of this activity, you should be able to:
1. Discuss diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia, according to established guidelines
2. Describe common comorbidities associated with fibromyalgia
3. Evaluate the role of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments for patients with fibromyalgia 

Fibromyalgia: Overcoming Barriers to Diagnosis & Treatment
Last visited...7/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...2.0.
Awarded by....Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Cost..........Free.
Instruction Type...Case-Based Interactive.
Target Audience....PSYCH, NEURO, RHEUM, ANES, PAIN MANAGEMENT and any physician treating fibromyalgia. 
Educational material last updated...3/2010.
Financial support...Forest Laboratories.
CME Credit Expires...June 2011.

This course is designed to improve the recognition and understanding of fibromyalgia as a multi-system disease associated with a number of objective abnormalities, a wide range of symptoms and co-morbid conditions, improve confidence in properly diagnosing fibromyalgia from the multitude of symptoms that present during a clinical visit, and provide guidelines for the management of fibromyalgia.

Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education (FORE)
Last visited…2/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit Hours…1.0 per course (5 series total).
Awarded by… AMA
Cost… Free.
Instruction Type… Slide-Video-Lecture.
Target Audiences… FP, IM, RHEUM.
Educational Material last updated…Not Stated.
Financial support… Amgen.

Use Internet Explorer to view these five presentations related to osteoporosis: Cytokine Networks in Systemic & Focal Bone Loss; Can Medications Inhibit & Even Heal Erosions in RA?; Epidemiology of Bone Loss in Inflammatory Arthritis and Secondary to Glucocortoids; New Paradigm in Osteoporosis Assessment: Absolute Fracture Risk Determination; and Novel Therapies Directed at Molecular Targets for Bone Loss.

Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center
Last visited...7/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD.
Credit hours...1.0.
Awarded by... Johns Hopkins.
Cost... Free.
Instruction Type...Slide-Video Lecture.
Target Audiences... RHEUM.
Education material last updated...2009.
Financial Support...Abbott Laboratories, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Centocor Ortho Biotech, Inc., and UCB Inc.
CME Credit Expires...4/23/11.

A single activity, Combining Patient and Physician Perspectives for Better Outcomes in Rheumatoid Arthritis
After completing this activity, you will be better able to:
Identify those prodromal symptoms that serve as accurate predictors of disease progression in patients with RA
Recognize communication strategies to better elicit the patient’s perspective on their disease, as indicated by the presence of prodromal symptoms
Select appropriate treatment options and perform clinical assessments based on the outcome of both personal and patient perspectives

Managing Gout in the Primary Care Setting
Last visited...7/2010.
Reviewed by...Bernard Sklar, MD,
Credit hours...1.0. 
Awarded by....Purdue University School of Pharmacy.
Cost...........Free.
Instruction Type...Slide-Audio lecture
Target Audience...FP, IM, RHEUM.
Educational material last updated...2010.
Financial support...Takeda.
CME Credit Expires...March 30, 2011.

Upon completion of this activity, you should be better able to:
1. Communicate effectively with patients about potential disease progression in gout and their important role in managing gout and gout flares
2. Recognize what constitutes a presumptive diagnosis for gout and apply evidenced based knowledge to effect appropriate pharmacologic and lifestyle management
3. Understand and communicate with patients about the rationale for management of gout;  relief of pain and inflammation from acute attacks; protection against further attacks; and, importance of maintaining a specific serum urate level
4. Discuss benefits of individualized therapy and appropriate patient expectations 

Medscape Rheumatology CME
Last visited...6/2010.
Credit hours...Varies from time to time.
Awarded by....Medscape and many other sponsoring organizations.
Cost...........Free.
Instruction Type...Text-and-Graphics, Text-Only, Slide-Audio Lecture, Slide-Video Lecture and Case-Based-Interactive.
Target Audiences....RHEUM.
Educational material last updated...New activities posted daily.
Financial Support...Many academic, specialty, and commercial sources as well as self-supported by Medscape.
Expiration of CME Credit...Credit for most activities expires one year after posting.

CME activities of special interest to rheumatologists. Medscape contains a variety of educational formats:
CONFERENCE COVERAGE - Reports of  advances presented at major medical conferences; typically includes several tracks with news stories, expert interviews, and in-depth topic overviews.
CLINICAL UPDATE - Comprehensive original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.
FAST TRACK CLINICAL UPDATE – Narrowly focused original review article on scientific advances in a clinical topic.
CME-LIVE - Real-time online events with streaming video, synchronized visuals, and interactive questions and answers; archived for 1 year.
CLINICAL BRIEFS - Daily reports of major current medical research articles; 0.25 credits each
JOURNAL CME - Articles selected from a wide selection of peer-reviewed journals.
SPECIAL REPORT CME – Topic-based monthly email newsletter distributed to Medscape’s professional member database by specialty.
INTERACTIVE PATIENT CASES – Original CME activity presented to the physician in an interactive, clinical case-based format. (See especially eMedicine CME Case Presentations.)
CME CIRCLE – Multimedia content certified by other accredited professional education providers, typically from live symposia or monographs, and then posted on Medscape and archived for one year.

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Last Updated August 24, 2010.