ResMed, Philips Respironics Fund Sleep Education Program
CME program aims to educate 7,200 clinicians by June 2010.
- By David Kopf
- Oct 29, 2009
ResMed Inc. and Philips Respironics are jointly working to further the sleep community’s efforts to educate primary care physicians about untreated sleep apnea via funding continuing medical education (CME) programs for primary care physicians and other clinicians.
The Best Practices in Primary Care course began Oct. 2 this month. Live programs are being provided through two independent primary care education providers, Primary Care Network and Pri-Med Institute, in 17 U.S. cities. This is the first time sleep apnea is being presented as a standalone topic during the typical one- to two-day seminars offered by the two educators. The goal of the program is to educate 7,200 clinicians by June 2010.
Primary care, family practice, and internal medicine doctors, along with nurse practitioners and physician assistants will learn about symptoms of sleep apnea, screening implementation, diagnostic pathways, therapy and the latest research on the association of mortality and morbidity with untreated sleep apnea, as well as earn 1.25 CME credits per program.
The program provides 1.25 CME credits and will run until June 2010. Upcoming dates include:
- San Antonio, Texas - Nov. 6-7.
- Reston, Va. - Nov. 20-21.
- Rosemont, Ill. - Nov. 20-21.
- New York, N.Y. - Mar. 21-22, 2010.
- Philadelphia, Pa. – Apr. 25-26, 2010.
- Orlando, Fla. - June 6-7, 2010.
Clinicians can register for Best Practices in Primary Care online at www.PrimaryCareEd.com or call toll-free: 1-877-594-1770.
In the first five sessions, offered by Primary Care Network and Pri-Med Institute, nearly 2,000 participants joined to learn more about sleep apnea.
“The questions posed by the audience indicated a high degree of interest and involvement in the care of patients with sleep apnea,” said Barbara Phillips, MD, MSPH, Professor Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, who led the Charlotte, N.C. seminar. “It is gratifying to see this level of interest."
The two companies cited several key trends in sleep apnea as the reasons for starting the courses: Approximately one in five U.S. adults suffer from mild obstructive sleep apnea, according to research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and roughly 90 percent of OSA suffers are believed to be undiagnosed. Additionally, in August, findings from one of the largest and most comprehensive multicenter studies, the Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) demonstrated an increased risk of mortality in moderate to severe sleep apnea when untreated.
About the Author
David Kopf is the Editor of HME Business.