Highlights from the 71st Annual American College of Rheumatology - A Continuing Education Series

Based on the 71st Annual ACR Meeting, Biolect’s ConferenceCast provides a 4-part PDF series that highlights symposia, round table, key notes, posters and other data presented on each day of the conference – Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3.  The 4th activity (Day 4) is a multi-case activity designed to assess your ability to apply the learnings from Days 1, 2 and 3 in a simulated practice setting.

Access links are below.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine takes responsibility for the content, quality and scientific integrity of this CME activity

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. All other healthcare professionals completing continuing education credit for this activity will be issued a certificate of participation.

This activity is intended for rheumatologists and related healthcare professionals. There are no prerequisites for participants.

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

1. Discuss key data being presented at the annual ACR meeting in a manner that is practical and clinically relevant.
   
2. Assess how biologics can be incorporated into appropriate therapeutic strategies based on their different mechanisms of actions, response rates, frequency of administrations and safety and tolerability profiles.
   
3. Recognize the long-term implications of biologic therapy on joint stability and mobility, cardiovascular complications and other risk factors.

As a provider accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, it is the policy of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine to require the disclosure of the existence of any significant financial interest or any other relationship a faculty member or a provider has with the manufacturers of any commercial products discussed in this program. The presenting faculty reported the following:

• Alan Baer, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director, Johns Hopkins University Clinical Practice at Good Samaritan Hospital, Chief of Rheumatology at Good Samaritan Hospital has no financial relationships to disclose.
  
• Jon T. Giles, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University discloses receiving Grants and/or Research Support from Roche and Centocor; Honoraria from Prous Science and Amgen and serving as a consultant for Abbott Laboratories.
  
• Vicky Ruffing, RN, Nurse Manager, Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center discloses that she serves as a consultant for Roche, Amgen, Genentech, BMS and Abbott.

No faculty member has indicated that their presentation will include information on off-label products.
The Release date for this activity is November 27, 2007 and expires November 27, 2008. Estimated time for completion is 30 minutes for each day of activity. There are no prerequisites for participants.

There are no fees for participating in or receiving credit for this online educational activity. For information on applicability and acceptance of continuing education credit for this activity, please consult your professional licensing board.

Method of Participation

In order to receive your certificate follow the link to the post-test, achieve a score of at least 70 percent and complete the program evaluation. Upon successful completion, follow the directions to print your certificate. This activity is designed to be completed within the time designated; physicians should claim only those credits that reflect the time actually spent in the activity. To successfully earn credit, participants must complete the activity online during the valid credit period.

The opinions and recommendations expressed by faculty and other experts whose input is included in this program are their own. This enduring material is produced for educational purposes only. Use of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine name implies review of educational format design and approach. Please review the complete prescribing information of specific drugs or combination of drugs, including indications, contradictions, warnings and adverse effects before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.

This ACR Highlights CE series and the content herein are neither sanctioned or supported by the American College of Rheumatology.
© All rights reserved - The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
This series was managed in collaboration with Gullapalli and Associates, LLC

To participate in this activity, please download each day of activity,

• Day 1 - Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA); including New RA Treatments and Current RA Therapies, and osteoporosis in RA patients
• Day 2 - Insights Into Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment
• Day 3 - Insights into the genetic risk factors for rheumatic diseases, new biomarkers for disease activity, the effect of new treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), how to handle special situations in patients on biologic therapy, and outcomes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
• Day 4 - Rheumatoid Arthritis Case Study

All information contained within the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center website is intended for educational purposes only. Physicians and other health care professionals are encouraged to consult other sources and confirm the information contained within this site. Consumers should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they may have read on this website.