News
CYBER CME
A recent survey (2004 Pri-Med Insights) of primary care physicians throughout the US found that while live educational forums are preferred by a four to one margin, the number of CME credits earned on line has increased by 25% in the previous two years.A few stats of interest from an AMA survey. In 2001, 78% of physicians were using the web, a 20% increase over the 1997 survey. Sixty-seven percent considered the web a medical information source. Forty-seven percent reported the web had a major impact on the way they practice medicine. A whopping eight-four percent indicated they had tried cyber CME at least once.
A survey by Albert Einstein College of Medicine regarding preferred content of web CME found the biggest drawback to be commercialization or concern of bias in content. Physicians indicated they expected authoritative information from a trusted non-commercial source.
Several CME offerings have experimented with "medutainment", combining online CME with a game format. Albert Einstein effectively created The Longevity Game, Cardio Country Club, and Bowlorama, a three part game on anemia.
CME in the future will likely involve many formats. For some programs face-to-face interaction will always work best. For others a journal review will be appropriate. The challenge for CME in the future, then, is not to find ways to replace current formats but to attract a distant, media-savvy audience who will insist on programming that is authoritative, relevant, individualized, and perhaps entertaining.
ACMEC has a number of links through our website to cyber CME opportunities. May the force be with you!
Reminder:
VA Medical Center Winter Retreat - January 13-16-2005
Ada County Medical Society Winter Clinics - February 19-21, 2005
Family Practice Residency 30 Year Reunion - May 13-15, 2005
Idaho Medical Association Meeting - July 21-23, 2005
Idaho Academy of Family Physicians Meeting - May 13-14, 2005
From the ACMEC Board of Directors and staff.: HAPPY HOLIDAYS
Anderson Center - Wednesday, 8:00 a.m.
Mercy Medical Center - Wednesday, 12:30 p.m. - Winter Room
New Members:
Upcoming Events:
January 2005
February 2005
Conflicts of interest are common place and unavoidable in the practice of medicine. It is a mistake to treat them as just another choice between competing values as occurs with ethical dilemmas such as abortion and end of life care. Especially under the microscope of regulatory agencies are the relationships between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. Interactions between drug companies and doctors are ubiquitous and start from the first day of medical school and last throughout ones professional career. The industry spends approximately 12 billion dollars annually on gifts and payments to physicians. It supports a large percentage of research and about half the costs of continuing medical education. Locally, ACMEC receives approximately $90,000.00 or 27% of the total budget in educational grants from industry to defray honoraria and expenses for visiting lecturers. The drug companies also contribute to our professional organizations as financial sponsors of meetings and special projects.
Much of the debate surrounding these relationships revolves around the question of whether they influence physician's behavior regarding drug use and how this impacts the quality and cost of healthcare. This becomes important now that Medicare is about to embark on prescription coverage for most seniors.
Most physicians feel they are invulnerable to any bias inherent in the relationships with drug companies but ample research suggests otherwise. Kats suggests "When a gift of any size is bestowed it imposes on the recipient a sense of indebtedness". To posit otherwise would imply that we physicians are somehow immune from the weaknesses of the rest of humanity.
What then can one do to ensure that the profession remains true to the covenant of trust the public expects. The American College of Physicians notes "A perception that a physician is dispensing medical advice on the basis of commercial influence is likely to undermine a patients trust not only in the physicians competence but also in the physicians pledge to put patients welfare above self interest". Recently, the AMA, the American College of Physicians and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education have all revised their codes of conduct regarding relationships with pharmaceutical companies. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America have also adopted its own code. What is clear is if we as a profession don't take the lead more onerous oversight will occur. Four states (Nevada, New Mexico, Maine and Vermont) now require drug companies to disclose any marketing expenditure to physicians in excess of $25.00.
Ultimately it is up to the individual physician to decide whether to accept these proffer enticements. Medicine must continue to be a moral discipline even though the moral choices may be difficult. The patient's final safeguard is the physician's character and this is measured by the degree to which the physician remains faithful to the covenant of trust he enters into when he asks, "How may I help you?"
John J. Mohr, M.D.
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center - Wednesday 8am, Anderson Center
Mercy Medical Center - Wednesday 12:30pm
VA Medical Center - Thursday 8am, AW Horsley Learning Ctr.
St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Friday 8am, Centennial Room
1 J. Brent Muhlestein, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Utah; Director, Cardiology Research, Intermountain Health Care and LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT.
8 Richard Barbers, M.D., Professor of Clinical Cardiothoracic Surgery and Clinical Medicine; University of Southern California, LA; Director, USC Adult Asthma and Allergy Center.
15 Annie Strupp, M.D., Medical Director, Lewis and Clark Region, American Red Cross Blood Services.
1 J. Brent Muhlestein, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Utah; Director, Cardiology Research, Intermountain Health Care and LDS Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT.
8 Richard Barbers, M.D., Professor of Clinical Cardiothoracic Surgery and Clinical Medicine; University of Southern California, LA; Director, USC Adult Asthma and Allergy Center.
15 Annie Strupp, M.D., Medical Director, Lewis and Clark Region, American Red Cross Blood Services.
Tumor Boards
Mercy Medical Center - Tuesday, 12:00 noon
St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Friday, 7:00 a.m.
Breast Care Panel - Saint Alphonsus RMC - Tuesday, 7:00 a.m.
St. Luke's Regional Medical Center - Tuesday, 12:00 noon
Breast Tumor Board - St. Luke's RMC - Thursday, 7:00 a.m.
MSTI Pediatric Tumor Board - 2nd & 4th Wednesday, 12:00 noon
The following physicians were elected as ACMS Provisional Members:
Jennifer Miller, M.D.; James Baker, M.D. and Heather Quinn, M.D.
The ACMS Physician Referral Roster is currently being revised for 2005. ACMS members who have paid their 2005 dues by December 31, 2004 will be included in the roster. Members receive one copy as part of their dues. Order forms for purchasing additional rosters will be sent to physician offices by December 1st. If you order additional rosters by the first of the year, the price is $35. After January 1 the price increases to $40.
Winter Clinics, February 18-21, 2005 at the Sun Valley Inn. Registration and Trade Show information will be mailed out in November. If you have questions call the ACMS office at 336-2930
A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.
Every word out the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the
Bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to
"clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John
shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird
and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then there was total
quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the
freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you
with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend
to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior." John was stunned at the change in the birds
attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird
continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"
5 Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Disease, Steven Mings, MD
7 Update on Gallbladder and Biliary Diseases, Stephen Schutz, MD
12 Fungal Infections, Richard Mazziares, MD
19 Diagnosis of MS, Barry Singer, MD
26 COPD, Joe Crowley, MD
28 A Stroke Protocol, James French, MD
2 Management of HTN in the Latino Population, Edward La Cava, MD
18 Management of Allergic Catastrophies, Eric Gershwin, MD
23 Discovery and Development of New Therapeutics Targeting Oncogenic Receptors
23 Legislative Update (Mercy), Bob Seeheusen
1 Best of AHA, J. Brent Muhlestein , MD
8 Best of Thoracic Society, Richard Barbers, MD
15 Adverse Transfusion Reactions, Annie Strupp, MD
22 No Conference
1 Best of AHA, J. Brent Muhlestein , MD
8 Best of Thoracic Society, Richard Barbers, MD
15 Adverse Transfusion Reactions, Annie Strupp, MD
22 No Conference
2 Secondary Stroke Prevention , Alex Abou-Chebl, MD
9 Update on Lipids, Bradley Anawalt, MD
16 Inpatient Management of Diabetes, Karen McDonough, MD
23 No Conference
3 Sinusitis, W. Davis Merritt, MD
10 Photo Biology, Gavin Powell, MD
17 Foot and Ankle Problems, Michael Coughlin, MD
24 No Conference
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