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A Continuing Medical Education Bulletin of Mercer University School of Medicine & The Medical Center of Central Georgia
Please Provide Us Your Email Address
The Office of Continuing Medical Education will begin a paperless evaluation/survey process this
year. Please contact Tony Blash via email: blash.tony@mccg.org or telephone: (478) 633-7702 with
your email address so you will be added to this system. If you have any questions, please contact the
Office of Medical Education (478) 633-1634. Thank you.
The Synapse
Christopher M. Freeman, Multimedia Utilization Specialist
Editor: Marcia Hutchinson, M.D., Chief Academic Officer
Office of Medical Education
790 First Street, Macon, Georgia 31201 (478) 633-1634
Fax: (478) 633-1578 e-mail: freeman.christopher@mccg.org
View previous editions of The Synapse at:
medicine.mercer.edu/programs/cme
The Synapse is a monthly newsletter produced by the Mercer
University School of Medicine/Medical Center of Central Georgia
Office of CME as a continuing medical education resource for the
physicians of Georgia.
Volume 24 August 2010 Number 8
Not your Parent’s CME!
The focus of Continuing Medical Education is continuing to move in the direction of CME where the outcomes can be measured.
These outcomes are no longer knowledge based but focus on improvements in physician competence, performance, and
patient outcomes. One way to change focus is to transform the typical Grand Rounds (Regularly Scheduled Series - RSS)
into Performance Improvement (PI) CME. Dr. Don Nakayama has drafted the CME Project featured below and is in the
process of collaborating with the Quality Department and CME Department at MCCG in hopes to begin such an initiative.
CME Project Initiative- presented by Don Nakayama, M.D.
Goal. The goal of the project is to provide an organizational framework for CME that (a) supports the various CME goals for
practicing surgeons; (b) introduces and trains surgical residents in practice based learning and improvement (PBLI) activities
that will become parts of their future practices; and (c) is integrated in hospital quality initiatives.
Background and Significance. Physicians and surgeons participate in a number of educational activities that are intended
to improve their professional practices and improve patient care. Traditionally they attended lectures and conferences and
read texts and journal articles relevant to their patients’ conditions and their own interests. Today the various certification
boards like the American Board of Surgery (ABS) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
require learning activities that are directed toward improvement in clinical practice and patient care. In anticipation of their
future CME responsibilities resident trainees undergo training in PBLI, a requirement of the Accreditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education (ACGME).
Approved CME activities must meet educational criteria of. In brief, they include (a) a planning process that identifies educational
needs; (b) a product that improves physician competence, performance, and patient outcomes; and (c) measurement by
which goals are achieved. Further, desired features include (a) integration of CME into professional practice and (b) the CME
activity is a part of the overall hospital system of quality improvement.
Today’s accreditation organizations demand substantive efforts that improve the quality of physician practice and improve
patient outcome at a number of levels: individual physician practices, GME, CME, and hospital. A coordinated system-
wide quality effort would satisfy the requirements of all agencies but most importantly would achieve the goals of practice
improvement and measureable patient benefit.
Specific Aim. The specific aim follows:
Aim .To organize a PBLI system that (a) improves quality of care and patient outcomes; (b) satisfies CME requirements for
practicing surgeons; and (c) provides a substantive PBLI experience for residents.
Projects.
The projects in this aim is to provide a comprehensive organizational structure that address quality of care issues for the
hospital, practicing surgeons, and resident trainees. The Joint Commission (JCAHO) and the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) require that hospitals address Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) quality measures.
Surgeons must document participation in an ongoing practice improvement project for maintenance of certification by the
ABS. The ACGME require that resident trainees take part in PBLI activities, a core competency that they will need in their
practice after graduation.
Continued Inside...
 Ongoing CME Opportunities
...Continued from Cover

August 2010
Project A. Quality Improvement (QI) Project.
FAMILY MEDICINE GRAND ROUNDS PSYCHIATRY GRAND ROUNDS
Every Friday, 12:15-1:15 p.m., 790 First Street Every 4th Thursday, 12:00-1:00 p.m., 790 First Street The activity will take place over two calendar years (Table). A meeting will be held at the first of the academic year in July to
Psychiatry Grand Rounds will not be held in August 2010 select a topic, agree upon a plan to improve practice and patient outcomes, and organize a simple tool to collect data. An
Aug 6 Oncology Meds example will be surgical site infections (SSI). As a group physicians will decide upon strategies to improve their practice as
Ahmad Al-Hajj, M.D.
it may affect SSI. Part of the plan will be educational products, including lectures and reading material that will be distributed
Objective: Discuss medications commonly used to treat cancer INTERNAL MEDICINE GRAND ROUNDS
during the year. For example, lectures on aspects of SSI will take place in September and March, with monthly distribution
related illnesses Every Wednesday, 8:00-9:00 a.m., 790 First Street
of articles for a journal club discussion at a meeting to be held in January. In January a mid-year evaluation of data will be
Aug 13 Acute Coronary Syndrome Aug 4 Suicide, Prozac and the Expert Witness take place, with further discussion regarding further changes in practice strategies for continued improvement. A year-end
Nasser Tehrani, M.D. Richard L.Elliott, M.D. summary will take place in the July meeting the following year, with again presentation of relevant data. Data collection for
Objective: Discuss Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and review Objective: Define “suicidality” in the FDA warning; understand the SSI project will continue during Year 2 of the project.
casual factors related to cardiogenic shock clinical risks associated with the use of Prozac in adolescents; to
understand the elements of malpractice & the role of an expert The second part of the July meeting agenda will be the selection of a QI project for the next two year cycle that will overlap
Aug 20 Acne witness in malpractice suits with the SSI project by one year. An example would be deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis. Again educational strategies
Virgina Hall, M.D. will be selected and a data collection tool agreed upon, with lectures and journal club articles on DVT. The mid year meeting
Objective: Discuss the treatment options available to patients Aug 11 Ischemic Stroke Management & will repeat the format set by the SSI project, as will the year-end meeting, where a third project for Year 3 will be selected.
suffering from skin acne Secondary Prevention in 2010
Alfred Callahan, M.D. Thus every project will have a year-long educational activity with data collected over a two-year period, allowing documentation
Aug 27 Inpatient Hyperglycemia Management Vanderbilt University of changes in physician practices and measureable effects on patient outcome.
Deborah Epps, M.D. Objective: Provide an evidence-based approach when managing
Objective: Discuss glucose management of patients in the critical ischemic stroke and better prevent secondary events
care setting Table. Project A calendar.
Aug 18 Thrombolytics Therapy in
Acute Pulmonary Embolism
Year Month Activity 1: SSI Activity 2: DVT Activity 3: Ports
SURGERY GRAND ROUNDS Raxit Patel, M.D.
Every Thursday, 6:45-8:30 a.m., Eversole Auditorium Objective: Discuss the appropriate use of a variety of thrombolytic Select topic, data
agents in treating acute pulmonary embolism July collection tool, QI
M & M will now be held every Tuesday morning at 8:00 A.M. in plan, educational plan
the Will C. Sealy Conference Room located on the 5th Floor of the Advances in Rheumatology 1 Lecture
PAHEC building in the Department of Surgery Treatment & Managment Sept
Mid-year review of
Niki Patel, M.D. Jan
data, journal club
Aug 5 Multi-disciplinary G.I. Conference Objective: Discuss the appropriate utilization of newer medications
Objective: Review rare and interesting cases G.I. cases and to for managing rheumatologic disease(s) Select topic, data
Mar
discuss prevention and plans to improve diagnosis and treatment collection tool, QI
July
from a multi-disciplinary point of view Aug 25 Bone Health Across the Cancer Continuum plan, educational plan
(via webcast) Lecture
Aug 12 Pediatric Surgery for the General Surgeon Adam Brufsky, M.D. Sept
2 Mid-year review of
Bryan Weidner, MD, FACS Assistant Professor of Medicine Jan
data, journal club
Objective: Discuss the common pediatric surgical conditions that University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Lecture
may present to the general surgeon either clinically or on board Objective: Discuss the pathophysiology and therapies for bone Select topic, data
exams and the evaluation and management of common surgical disease in cancer patients - CME Credit provided through CBCE Mar Year 1 data review,
3 End-of-activity review collection tool, QI
conditions in children including the use of the latest diagnostic tools July continue data
plan, educational plan
collection
Aug 19 Resident Case Presentations TUMOR BOARD CONFERENCE
Objective: Present interesting cases including diagnosis management Every Monday, 12:00-1:00 p.m., Trice Auditorium
of unusual surgical condition Objective: Apply learned cancer management issues in regard to
diagnosis and treatment and to dictate a plan of care Project B. Hospital and CME Support.
Aug 26 Topics in Trauma Conference
Objective: Review the latest literature on trauma and to discuss plans The hospital quality department will have the responsibility of collecting relevant data. The operating room data system will
to improve performance and safety provide operative cases by surgeon and resident trainee. Surgeons’ offices will know of the project and their responsibility to
These meetings are accredited by the ACCME report relevant complications (e.g., SSI and DVT) that are treated by the surgeon as outpatients or at other medical facilities.
Feedback and other tools (e.g., questionnaires on laparoscopic products, Activity 3 in the Table above) will be collected and
OB/GYN GRAND ROUNDS returned to the hospital quality department, where data will be collated and maintained. The quality department will provide
Accreditation
Every Friday, 8:00-9:00 a.m., Trice Auditorium The Mercer University School of Medicine is accredited by the collected data for the study group and individual surgeon and resident for review at mid- and year-end meetings.
Except: August 6, 13, & 27, 2010 ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Aug 20 The Genetics of Male Infertility
William Butler, M.D.
Objective: Discuss the causes and treatment of infertility
Credit
The Mercer University School of Medicine designates this
educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1
Credit(s) ™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate
with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Project C. Resident PBLI review.
The meetings above will be focused on practicing staff surgeons, but resident trainees will attend all meetings. The Residency
in Surgery will provide feedback to residents in training in separate meetings in the same schedule outlined above, using
data obtained from Project B above.