Of the current 10 quality measures in place for hospitals , four apply to
emergency medicine.
* 65 percent said a beta blocker upon arrival is appropriate for patients
with acute myocardial infarction.

Bruce Bellande, Executive Director, Alliance for Continuing
Medical Education, will provide an overview of the CME
landscape to plan effective communication strategies.

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Ninety-six percent (96 percent) said it is essential that the
measures be applicable to the specific practice of emergency medicine.

pediatric healthy

Headquartered
in Dallas , Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters in each state, as well as Puerto Rico
and the District of Columbia, and a Government Services Chapter representing
emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government
agencies.

children measures

As part of an effort to improve patient care while containing costs, the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been implementing a
series of pay-for-performance projects. But
over half (56 percent) cited a concern that an emphasis on cost reduction
could harm the quality of patient care.

Additional findings of the survey include:

* Three-quarters (74 percent) of emergency physicians are concerned that
the measures may not reflect the practice environment of emergency
medicine.S. Some of the featured presenters include:

Robert D. Fox, Ed.

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Four of the 10 hospital measures apply in the
emergency department .
* Seven in 10 (71 percent) are concerned that measures may not be
realistic due to the overcrowding in emergency departments.

Business Editors/Medical Editors
2005 Med Ed Congress

NEW YORK----Although the number of
patients aged 65 or older is increasing, medical schools are falling
short in training specialists in various aspects of geriatric care,
according to a recent study published by the University of
Cincinnati's Institute for the Study of Health, reported March 11,
2005 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.D.

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With an Aging Population on the Rise Study Suggests a Greater Need for Geriatric Medical Education Programs

However, the authors of the study found that in 2003,
approximately 70 percent of the graduate medical education
specialties-training programs for non-pediatric physicians do not have
specific geriatrics-specific curriculum requirements .

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Because of these unique challenges, emergency physicians must
be involved in the development and testing of any measures that could affect
practice in the emergency department.

samples resources

The Medical Education Congress 2005 will offer a unique learning
opportunity to understand and evaluate the current environment for
CME, and will present real-world strategies for implementing medical
education support and delivery programs.

intended newsletter

"
Virtually all emergency physicians (99 percent) said it was important (88
percent) or critical (11 percent) for emergency physicians to help determine
the measures .

* 92 percent of emergency physicians said aspirin within four hours of
arrival for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) is an appropriate
measure for emergency medicine .
As such, it's clear that there will be a growing need for
geriatric-specific medical education programs for current and future
physicians. "With the U. National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion predicting that by 2030 there
will be more than 70 million people age 65 and older in the United
States, it's clear that physicians will have many more patients in
this age group, and will need specific training to handle the needs of
these patients., Associate Consulting Professor at Duke
University School of Medicine, and President, Professional
Resource Network, will discuss ways to effectively work with
CME accreditation partners.mededcongress .

conditions pediatric

"Many emergency departments are
crowded, with patients being treated in hallways waiting for inpatient beds in
the hospital.

ordering measures

The next major effort will include development and
implementation of performance measures for physicians.
"Emergency medicine has its unique challenges that make it unlike any
other specialty -- our patients often arrive in critical need of care, without
medical records , and in many cases we are not able to ensure follow up care,"
said Robert E. Suter, DO, president of ACEP.

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* 65 percent said the measures may increase the burden on emergency
departments already at or over capacity.
According to the study, more than 50 percent of all outpatient
visits by geriatric patients are to non-primary-care physicians, which
indicate that specialists will need to deal with a greater number of
aging adults seeking care and advice about a specific medical
condition ., Professor, Research Center for
Continuing Professional and Higher Education, University of
Oklahoma, will deliver a keynote address on generating
effective strategies and tools for application in Continuing
Medical Education.

Geoffrey Levitt, Vice President at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, will
speak about strategies for navigating a CME environment of
uncertainty for accreditors, providers, hospitals, and
academic institutions.

Visit the conference site for
more information: www.

medical conditions

specialties acute

aid intended

The measures were initially
voluntary, but are now required, and CMS has recently made the data public for
more than 4,000 hospitals."
The Medical Education Congress 2005 will offer more than 30 case
study examples of internal CME structural changes occurring within the
industry, and will feature more than 50 sessions with more than 75
speakers .

quality acute

ACEP is a national emergency medicine specialty society with more than
23,000 members . ACEP is committed to improving the quality of emergency care
through continuing education, research , and public education.

Information, resources, or services intended to aid pediatric physicians in their practice.

health life

Current Hospital Quality Measures are Improving Patient Care

WASHINGTON , Current hospital quality measures,
such as providing aspirin within four hours of arrival for heart attack
patients, are improving patient care, according to three-fourths of more than
1,000 emergency physicians who responded to a new survey released today by the
American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) during its Leadership and
Advocacy Conference being held here.

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health pediatrics

Future Quality Measures Must Consider Realities of Emergency Departments Emergency Physicians Say

ACEP members were
asked about their concerns regarding both the existing and future indicators.
While emergency physicians expressed support for hospital quality measures
to improve patient care, they also indicated concerns that any proposed
physician measures for emergency medicine may not reflect the realities of
their practice environment, such as overcrowding. In addition, they indicated
concern that the measures may increase the burden on emergency departments,
many of which are already at or over capacity.

* 81 percent said oxygen assessment for pneumonia is appropriate. D.

Joe Green, Ph.

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acute intended

"The results of the University of Cincinnati's Institute for the
Study of Health's study indicate a specific need for more specialized
CME programs," said Keith Kirkpatrick , Medical Education Congress'
Conference Director.

adolescents practice

* 74 percent said providing antibiotics within 4 hours of arrival for
pneumonia is appropriate.

The online survey of 1,076 members of ACEP was conducted March 28 2005 to
April 8, 2005.

pediatrics ordering

Convening at the Philadelphia Loews from May 9-11, the
Medical Education Congress 2005 will bring together hundreds of
medical education professionals to share best practices and case
information on how they enhance the value, content , and effectiveness
of CME programs to these physicians and other healthcare providers,
and how they're restructuring their organizations to maintain
regulatory compliance.