MASA Link

Asthma is one of the most common diseases of childhood, with a prevalence rate of 5.4%in the pediatric population, accounting for 17% of pediatric encounters in US emergency departments. Although there is no known cure for asthma, advances in scientific understanding of the disease's underlying mechanisms have produced treatment tools and management strategies that can improve the health of children with asthma. However, the variability in patient responses to asthma therapies makes a single treatment strategy particularly challenging. In this video, Dr. Jill Baren presents an evidence-based discussion about some of the controversies in the management of pediatric asthma, including the use of metered-dose inhalers versus nebulizers, levalbuterol versus albuterol, the role of ipratropium, and the use of inhaled corticosteroids in acute asthma. In addition, she reviews novel or uncommon therapeutic interventions, such as the use of bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) and heliox therapy.

(30 minutes)

Credit Information
Up to 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for pediatricians, primary care physicians, internists, emergency medicine physicians, hospitalists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the care of pediatric patients who present with asthma.

Program Description

Essential elements in the care of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are rapid, accurate diagnosis and keeping the encounter time to reperfusion as short as possible. The choice of method of reperfusion is based on an individual hospital’s capability and the time to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), whether directly or via transfer, relative to fibrinolytic therapy. The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) 2009 joint STEMI/PCI focused update recommends that each community develop a STEMI system of care that follows standards at least as stringent as those developed for the AHA’s Mission: Lifeline initiative. It should include ongoing multidisciplinary team meetings with emergency medical services (EMS), STEMI referral centers, and STEMI receiving centers; a process for prehospital identification and activation; destination protocols for STEMI receiving centers; and transfer protocols for STEMI referral centers. Ensuring that all patients receive optimum care requires having protocols in place, working together as a team, tracking time to treatment, and minimizing system-based errors.

(35 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for emergency medicine physicians, cardiologists, primary care physicians, and other healthcare professionals interested in the diagnosis and treatment of acute coronary syndromes.

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 0.5 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins Saturday, August 31, 2013. Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 0.5 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association.

Program Description

Uncomplicated hypertension is hypertension that occurs without associated clinical conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, or coronary disease, which often complicate treatment of the hypertensive patient. When persistent hypertension develops into complicated hypertension, target organ damage to the aorta and small arteries, heart kidneys, retina, and central nervous system is evident. In this video, Dr. William Frishman presents four clinical cases scenarios, depicting patients with uncomplicated and complicated hypertension, which illustrate important teaching principles in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension. Following presentation of each case, Dr. Fishman discusses the optimal treatment approach and the pertinent issues that need to be addressed for each patient.

(60 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for primary care physicians and other healthcare professionals interested in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 1 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins Saturday, September 28, 2013. Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 1 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association.

 Program Description

Unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, collectively known as UA/NSTEMI, is the most commonly-occuring form of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and accounts for over one million hosptial discharges each year in the United States. Rural hospital teams have unique challenges in optimizing their resources to provide timely risk statification and treatment for patients present with UA/NSTEMI. In this video, a renowned cardiologis and distignuised emergency medicine specialist review key guideline recommendations along with practical advice for improving UA/NSTEMI patient care in the rural hospital setting. Quailty-improvement tools such as standing orders and discharge checklists are provided for download to help clinicians implement current guidelines in practice.

(30 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for cardiologists, emergency medicine physicians, hospitalists, internists, and other healthcare professionals who have an interest in treating patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 0.5 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins Saturday, October 26, 2013. Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 0.5 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association.

Program Description

Uncontrolled hyperglycemia in the inpatient setting is a common occurrence and is clearly associated with an increase in adverse outcomes including morbidity, mortality, and increased costs. Hospital hyperglycemia in nonpregnant adults may be due to known type 1 or type 2 diabetes, previously unrecognized diabets, and/or stress associated with illness and hospitialization. Barriers contributing to suboptimal glycemic control in the inpatient setting are multifactorial and include deficits in knowledge regarding insulin requirements in health and in illness, prescribing, adjusting, and/or administering an insuling regimen tailored to acute care setting needs; fear of inducing hypoglycemia and lack of effective processes/protocols for implementing glycemic management stratagies hospital-wide. This video will support clinicians seeking to optimize hyperglycemia management protocols by applying current hyperglycemia management recommendations and stratagies to clinical practice. Dr. Michelle Magee reviews the prevalence and impact of hyperglycemia in the hospitalized patient; the evidence for implementing glycemic control; the latest clinical recommendations, stratagies, and protocols for impatient insulin management; and effective discharge planning which facilitates a smooth transition from hospital to the outpatient setting.

(60 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for physicians and allied health providers who care for patients with hospital hyperglycemia, including cardiologists, critical care physicians, endocrinologists, hospitalists, intensivists, internists, nurses, pharmacists, and diabetes educators.

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 1 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins Saturday, January 25, 2014. Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 1 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association.

Program Description

Despite multiple therapeutic advances, especially in psychopharmacology, treatment of schizophrenia has remained a major challenge. Not only do clinicians need to ensure that they are optimally and safely treating a patient's psychosis, they also must monitor and treat the patient for various comorbidities. The risks and benefits of any single medication need to be weighed individually with each patient, and that side-effect risk needs to be weight repeatedly during treatment. Side effects need to be continuously monitored and medication adjusted to maintain optimal medical and psychiatric health. As new development and compelling clinical trial data in the management of schizophrenia evolve constantly, clinicians must ensure that they stay abreast of the latest advances and new therapies. In this video, Dr. Christoph Corell reviews dosing strategies to achieve optimal antipsychotic efficacy while minimizing adverse events; antipsychotic switching strategies based on the agents' pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties; and the evidence for augmentation strategies of antipsychotic monotherapy in schizophrenia.

(60 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for hospital-based psychiatrists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants with strong psychiatric interests, psychiatric residents, and emergency medince healthcare professionals.

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 1 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins Saturday, February 22, 2014. Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 1 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association. 

Program Description

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS), comprising unstable angina, non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (UA/NSTEMI) and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) present many challenges to hospital teams, including those with and without cardiac catheterization laboratories. For STEMI, rapid and accurate diagnosis and keeping the encounter time to reperfusion as short as possible is critical. For UA/NSTEMI, efficient risk stratification is important to select the appropriate treatment pathway and help guide management decisions. In this video, Dr. Bhatt reviews key recommendations from the 2007 UA/NSTEMI ACC/AHA Practice Guidelines and 2009 ACC/AHA Focused Updates for STEMI and PCI. Topic areas include reducing time to treatment, risk stratification, selection/timing/dosing of antithrombotic therapies in the emergency department, perioperative therapies for PCI, and long-term, secondary prevention recommendations. The role of evidence-based critical pathways to improve quality of patient care and optimize patient outcomes is emphasized throughout the lecture.

(60 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for cardiologists, emergency medicine physicians, hospitalists, internists, interventional cardiologists, and other healthcare providers with an interest in optimizing outcomes for patients with ACS.

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 1 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins Saturday, April 12, 2014. Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 1 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association.

Program Description

Achieving optimal outcomes for hospitalized patients with diabetes requires implementation of current, evidence-based guidelines and protocols for glycemic control. Uncontrolled hyperglycemia in the inpatient setting is a common occurrence and is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. In this video, Dr. Inzucchi presents the rationale for implementing updated glycemic control strategies, including the latest recommendations from the American Diabetes Association and American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. A focused approach based on different patient characteristics and clinical settings within the hospital is discussed. Effective discharge planning to ensure continuity of care between inpatient and outpatient management is also emphasized.

(30 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

This activity is designed for critical care physicians, emergency medicine physicians, endocrinologists, hospitalists, internists, primary care physicians, nurses, and pharmacists.

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 0.5 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins . Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 0.5 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association.

 Program Description

Community- and healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) infections have become a growing public health issue over the past two decades. In this video, Dr. Fowler examines strategies to prevent Staphylococcus aureus infection and transmission, including whole body, systemic, environmental (surface and surroundings) decolonization, as well as pet decolonization in some instances. Interventions for uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections should ideally aim at reducing antibiotic use whenever safe and appropriate. For complicated skin and skin structure infections, there are now several appropriate broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment options available. Dr. Fowler reviews the pros and cons of these agents and provides practical clinical perspectives and advice for successful patient management.

(35 minutes) 

Credit Information

Up to 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™

Infectious disease specialists, critical care physicians, hospitalists, surgeons, pharmacists, and other healthcare professionals involved in the management of cSSSIs

Learning Objectives

After taking part in this CME activity, participants should be able to:

CME Credit Designations

ACCME The Network for Continuing Medical Education (NCME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA NCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

AAFP This activity has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 0.5 Prescribed credit by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP accreditation begins . Term of approval is for one year from this date, with option for yearly renewal.

AOA This activity is eligible for up to 0.5 hour of credit in Category 2-A of the American Osteopathic Association.