Accreditation Information and Educational Objectives for Comprehensive Exams
This CME activity was planned and produced in accordance with the ACCME Essentials.
The content on which this exam is based is available at: www.medicalletter.org/cme. Please review this content and use it to answer the exam questions.
MISSION STATEMENT:
The mission of The Medical Letter's Continuing Medical Education Program is to support the professional development of health care professionals including physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and physician assistants by providing independent, unbiased drug information and prescribing recommendations that are free of industry influence. The program content includes current information and unbiased reviews of FDA-approved and off-label uses of drugs, their mechanisms of action, clinical trials, dosage and administration, adverse effects and drug interactions. The Medical Letter delivers educational content in the form of self-study material.
The expected outcome of the CME Program is to increase the participant's ability to know, or apply knowledge into practice after assimilating, information presented in materials contained in The Medical Letter.
The Medical Letter will strive to continually improve the CME program through periodic assessment of the program and activities. The Medical Letter aims to be a leader in supporting the professional development of health care professionals through Core Competencies by providing continuing medical education that is unbiased and free of industry influence.
The Medical Letter is supported solely by subscription fees and accepts no advertising, grants or donations.
GOAL
Through this program, The Medical Letter expects to provide the health care community with unbiased, reliable and timely educational content that they will use to make independent and informed therapeutic choices in their practice.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Activity participants will read and assimilate unbiased reviews of FDA-approved and off-label uses of drugs and other treatment modalities.
Activity participants will be able to select and prescribe, or confirm the appropriateness of the prescribed usage of, the drugs and other therapeutic modalities discussed in The Medical Letter with specific attention to clinical trials, pathophysiology, dosage and administration, drug metabolism and interactions, and patient management.
Activity participants will make independent and informed therapeutic choices in their practice.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Participants in the program have indicated their interest in this subject matter and need for information by subscribing to The Medical Letter, the content of which provides the basis for this activity. The activity is periodically evaluated, and comments and suggestions from subscribers reviewed and implemented as deemed appropriate.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The Medical Letter is an independent nonprofit organization that provides health care professionals with unbiased drug information. The Medical Letter is supported solely by subscription fees and accepts no advertising, grants or donations. The editorial process used for its publications relies on a review of published and unpublished literature, with an emphasis on controlled clinical trials and peer review. The questions in The Medical Letter CME Activities are designed and created by the Editorial Staff and CME Exam Committee at The Medical Letter. All individuals involved in the content on which this activity is based are required to disclose any relevant financial relationship(s) they, including spouse or partner, have with a commercial interest that benefits the individual in any financial amount that has occurred within the past 12 months. Any presenter whose disclosed relationships prove to create an irresolvable conflict of interest, with regard to their contribution to the activity, will not be permitted to present.
DISCLOSURE
The Medical Letter requires that individuals responsible for the content on which a CME activity is based disclose to the audience when a conflict exists and when discussing any unlabeled or investigational use of any commercial product, or device, not yet approved for use in the United States.
The content of The Medical Letter and related CME Program is controlled by the Editor, who declares no conflict of interest.
ACCREDITATION
The Medical Letter is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Medical Letter Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 13 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This CME activity was planned and produced in accordance with the ACCME Essentials and Policies.
The Medical Letter is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This exam is acceptable for 13.0 hour(s) of knowledge-based continuing education credit (1.3 CEU).
This Enduring Material activity, The Medical Letter Continuing Medical Education Program, has been reviewed and is acceptable for up to 26 Prescribed credit(s) by the American Academy of Family Physicians. AAFP certification begins January 1, 2013. Term of approval is for one year from this date with the option of yearly renewal. This exam is approved for 13 Prescribed credits. Credits may be claimed for 1 year from the date of this exam. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accept AMA Category 1 credit for the Physician’s Recognition Award from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
This activity, being ACCME (AMA) approved, is acceptable for Category 2-B credit by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
Physician Assistants: The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ from organizations accredited by ACCME. NCCPA also accepts AAFP Prescribed credits for recertification. The Medical Letter is accredited by both ACCME and AAFP.
Physicians in Canada: Members of The College of Family Physicians of Canada residing in the US are eligible to receive Mainpro-M1 credits (equivalent to AAFP Prescribed credits), and members residing in Canada are eligible to receive Mainpro-M2 credits due to a reciprocal agreement with the American Academy of Family Physicians. The Medical Letter CME activities are eligible for either Section 2 or Section 4 (when creating a personal learning project) in the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).
Physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and physician assistants may earn 13 credits with this exam.
CERTIFICATES
Certificates/statements of credit will be emailed to those who submit and pass the exam. A score of 70% or greater is required to pass the exam.
SPECIAL CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION REPORTING FORMS
American Academy of Family Physicians -- When filled out and sent to us, the personalized continuing medical education reporting forms for AAFP members will be forwarded to AAFP headquarters once individual test results are available.
Other Organizations -- We shall make every effort to expedite reports. Please fill out any requisite forms as fully as possible before sending them to us for completion.
PRINCIPAL FACULTY FOR THIS ACTIVITY
Mark Abramowicz, M.D., Editor in Chief - The Medical Letter
Mark Abramowicz, M.D. has no disclosure or potential conflict of interest to report.
Dr. Abramowicz has been writing and editing medical education material for over 35 years and has been Editor of The Medical Letter since 1973. He received his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis in 1960, completed his internship and residency in Pediatrics at Boston City Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, and trained in Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at Boston City Hospital. In addition, Dr. Abramowicz served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1962 to 1964. After completing his training, he was a full-time member of the Pediatrics Department at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Abramowicz has been instrumental in developing The Medical Letter’s unique approach to addressing the CME needs of physicians.
Gianna Zuccotti, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., Executive Editor - The Medical Letter
Assistant Professor of Medicine - Harvard Medical School
Gianna Zuccotti, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P. has disclosed that her spouse serves as a consultant for Novartis and Genzyme and receives research funding from Novartis.
Jean-Marie Pflomm, Pharm.D., Editor - The Medical Letter
Jean-Marie Pflomm, Pharm.D. has no disclosure or potential conflict of interest to report.
Brinda M. Shah, Pharm.D., Consulting Editor - The Medical Letter
Brinda M. Shah, Pharm.D. has no disclosure or potential conflict of interest to report.
F. Peter Swanson, M.D., Consulting Editor - The Medical Letter
F. Peter Swanson, M.D. has no disclosure or potential conflict of interest to report.
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY
The Medical Letter guarantees our firm commitment to your privacy. We do not sell any of your information. Secure server software (SSL) is used for commerce transactions through VeriSign, Inc. No credit card information is stored.
IT REQUIREMENTS
Windows 98/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, Pentium+ processor, Mac OS X+ w/ compatible process; Microsoft IE 6.0+, Mozilla Firefox 2.0+ or any other compatible Web browser. Dial-up/high-speed connection.
For questions about this examination please call Customer Service at The Medical Letter at (800) 211-2769.
