Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) afflicts millions of people in the United States. It is a significant public health issue, because CHC can evolve into states that are associated with cirrhosis, hepatic fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The incidence of deaths from HCV infections is increasing, and, since 2007, the number of people who die from HCV infection in the United States each year has exceeded the numbers who die from HIV infection. While significant progress has been made in the treatment of CHC, many clinicians with HCV infected patients are not aware of the full range of complex and emerging management and treatment options available or how to apply them to various patient scenarios. Furthermore, infected patients are going undiagnosed due to lack of education and resources surrounding screening and diagnostic testing for CHC. Due to the rapidly changing landscape of CHC management, these issues can significantly affect the treatment of patients with HCV infection and the quality of the care they receive, potentially affecting patient outcomes, increasing morbidity, mortality and treatment costs.
This online program entitled, "Eliminating the HCV Scourge: Together We Can Do It," consists of case-based modules that feature a panel of HCV thought leaders who review and discuss the most critical aspects of HCV prevention, management and treatment. Each presentation focuses on a different approach or population involved in HCV care. The information and opinions provided are intended to improve a clinician's ability to prevent, diagnose and manage HCV infection. Participants who complete these modules will gain increased understanding of the optimal management skills needed to treat various types of patients with CHC, which is expected to result in improved patient care, reduces morbidity and mortality, reduced costs and meaningful improvement in patient outcomes.
This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice nurses and other health care professionals involved in the care of patients with HCV infection.
After completing this activity, participants should be better able to:
Release Date: May 19, 2016
Expiration Date: May 19, 2017
Estimated time to complete each Module: 30-45 minutes
Media: Internet
Nezam H. Afdhal, MD Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Chief of Hepatology, Director of Liver Center Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts |
Mark Sulkowski, MD Professor of Medicine and Medical Director Viral Hepatitis Center Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, Maryland |
Brenda Appolo PA-C, MHS Hepatology Physician Assistant Physician Assistant / Nurse Practitioner Manager Division of Gastroenterology University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
David E. Bernstein, MD, FACG Chief Division of Hepatology and Center for Liver Diseases North Shore Long Island Jewish Health Care System Professor of Medicine Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine New York, New York |
Ian Frank, MD Professor of Medicine Director, Clinical Therapeutics Program Penn Center for AIDS Research Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Lennox Jeffers, MD Chief of Hepatology Miami VA Medical Center Associate Chief Center for Liver Disease, Professor of Medicine University of Miami’s School of Medicine Miami, Florida |
Wilbert Jordan, MD Medical Director Charles Drew Medical Center Los Angeles, California |
Paul Kwo, MD Professor of Medicine Medical Director, Liver Transplantation Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana |
Alain H. Litwin, MD, MPH Professor of Medicine Professor of Clinical Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Albert Einstein College of Medicine Montefior Medical Center Bronx, New York |
K. Rajender Reddy, MD Ruimy Family President's Distinguished Professor of Medicine Professor of Medicine in Surgery Director of Hepatology Director, Viral Hepatitis Center University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
Stacey B. Trooskin, MD, PhD Assistant Professor Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Medicine Drexel University College of Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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 Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and ViralEd, Inc. The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Treating and Preventing HCV - DM and Obesity Module:
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Treating and Preventing HCV - Intravenous Drug Users Module:
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Treating and Preventing HCV - HCV/HIV Co-infection Module:
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Treating and Preventing HCV - Genotype 4 Module:
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) requires instructors, planners, managers and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest (COI) they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified COI are thoroughly vetted and resolved according to PIM policy. PIM is committed to provideing 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 commerical 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 these CME activities:
Brenda Appolo PA-C, MHS
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Nezam Afdhal, MD
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David E. Bernstein, MD, FACG
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Douglas Dieterich, MD
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Ian Frank, MD
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Paul Kwo, MD
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Lennox Jeffers, MD
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Wilbert Jordan, MD
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Alain H. Litwin, MD, MPH
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K. Rajender Reddy, MD
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Mark Sulkowski, MD
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Stacey B. Trooskin, MD, PhD
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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 these CME activities:
The following PIM planner and managers:, Judi Smelker-Mitchek, RN, BSN; Trace Hutchison, PharmD; Samantha Mattiucci, PharmD, CHCP; Jan Shultz, RN, MSN, CHCP and Patricia Staples, MSN, NP-C, CCRN hereby state that they or their spouse/life partner do not have any financial relationships or relationships to products or devices with any commercial interests related to the content of this CME/CE activity of any amount during the past 12 months.
There are no fees for participating and receiving CME credit for this activity. During the period, May 19, 2016 through May 19, 2017, participants must read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures and study the educational activity.
PIM supports Green CME by offering your Request for Credit online. If you wish to received acknowledgment of completing this activity, please complete the post-test and evaluation on http://www.cmeuniversity.com/. On the navigation menu, click on "Find Post-test/Evaluation by Course" and search by course ID 11397 . Upon registering and successfully completing the post-test with a score of 70% or better and the activity evaluation, your certificate will be made available immediately. Processing credit requests online will reduce the amount of paper used by nearly 100,000 sheets per year.
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.
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 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.
This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Gilead Sciences Medical Affairs