Educational Resources

Peer to Peer: A New Model for Improving Guideline- and Evidence-Based ACS Care

Med-IQ has published the following short e-briefs to highlight real-world questions, opportunities for improvement, and front-line perspectives gained from complimentary ACS CME teleconferences. These certified activities connect healthcare professionals from across the country with ACS faculty experts during personalized sessions focusing on improving ACS patient care in their practices. This real-time exchange of ideas has helped address some of the major challenges that clinical practices face in managing ACS cases.

ACS Articles Featuring Expert Video Commentary *

The following interactive, certified CME articles align with one of three designated benchmark areas of improvement (ie, risk stratification, initial pharmacologic management, and time-to-treatment) and are supplemented with practical, video commentary from expert faculty. You may earn up to 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for completing each activity.

Accurate Risk Stratification in Acute Coronary Syndromes *
Read steps to meet current ACC/AHA guidelines for ACS identification and risk stratification. Clinical commentary from Christopher P. Cannon, MD.
Initial Pharmacologic Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes *
ACC/AHA guidelines for the initial pharmacologic management of STEMI and UA/NSTEMI. Clinical commentary from Christopher P. Cannon, MD, and James W. Hoekstra, MD.
Improving Time-to-Treatment in Acute Coronary Syndromes *
ACC/AHA guideline recommendations for improving time to reperfusion therapy. Clinical commentary from
C. Michael Gibson, MD, Christopher P. Cannon, MD, James W. Hoekstra, MD, and Gary L. Schaer, MD.

In November 2009, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Foundation/American Heart Association (AHA) Task Force on Practice Guidelines released a focused update to the ACC/AHA guidelines for the management of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and the ACC/AHA/Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) guidelines on percutaneous coronary intervention. This joint update incorporates recent clinical trial evidence that has emerged since the publication of the last focused updates in 2007 and addresses several clinical issues relating to time-to-treatment for acute coronary syndromes. Therefore, for the most current recommendations regarding optimal reperfusion strategies for these patients, please refer to the joint update to the full-text guidelines, which was published in the December 1, 2009 issues of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and Circulation. It is also posted on the Web sites of the ACC (www.acc.org), AHA (my.americanheart.org), and SCAI (www.scai.org).

* Articles are expired for credit.

Community of Practice ACS Audioconferences

Join us for three live, 30-minute interactive audioconferences with expert faculty and fellow specialists. Each audioconference will address ACS process barriers for the key program benchmarks for STEMI and UA/NSTEMI treatment: risk assessment, initial pharmacologic management, and door-to-needle/door-to-transfer times.

You may submit questions in advance or ask your questions live on the phone and receive immediate answers from our program faculty.

Faculty:

Christopher P. Cannon, MD, James W. Hoekstra, MD, and David M. Larson, MD

Schedule:

Wednesday, March 18 – 7 AM ET — listen to the recorded audioconference or download the transcript
Wednesday, June 17 – 12 PM ET — listen to the recorded audioconference or download the transcript
Wednesday, September 23 – 6 PM ET — listen to the recorded audioconference or download the transcript

Registration:

To receive audioconference access details, register toll-free at 866 858 7434 or e-mail concierge@med-iq.com.

Other Certified CME Activities in ACS

STRIVE: Strategies and Resources for Reducing Ischemic and Vascular Events