Program Chairs

Sanjeev Arora, MD, FACP

Professor Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine
University of New Mexico Heath Science Center
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Michael W. Fried, MD

Professor of Medicine
Director of Hepatology
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

29 additional faculty–see full faculty listing and schedule on activity website.

Accredited by

University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center,
School of Medicine

Agenda

The duration of the program is 24 weeks.

There are 3 web teleconferences to choose from, held on Tuesdays.

Central/West Region
Web clinic will be held on every Tuesday 7:00-7:30PM ET / 6:00-7:30PM CT / 5:00-6:30PM MT / 4:00-5:30PM PT

Northeast Region
Web clinic will be held on every Tuesday 5:30-7:00PM ET / 4:30-6:00PM CT / 3:30-5:00PM MT / 2:30-4:00PM PT

Southeast Region
Web clinic will be held on every Tuesday 4:00-5:30PM ET / 3:00-4:30PM CT / 2:00-3:30PM MT / 1:00-2:30pm PT

Clinics begin on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 with 6 different didactic presentations rotating 1-6 throughout 24 weeks.

Presentation 1: New Insights for the Management of the Treatment-Naïve Patient

Presentation 2: Management of Non-Responders and Relapsers to Standard Therapy

Presentation 3: Additional Challenges in the Era of DAAs: AE Management and Drug Interactions

Presentation 4: A New Treatment Algorithm in the Era of DAAs

Presentation 5: Understanding Viral Resistance: Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management

Presentation 6: Future Therapeutic Options for the Patient With HCV—Key Highlights for the Practicing Clinician

Activity Description

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a CME opportunity where you can obtain real-time consultation with specialists and get your HCV management questions answered via web/teleconference activities on Tuesday afternoons. Participate by submitting your patient cases for consultation, learn how to incorporate recent advances in HCV therapies, and take action to optimize outcomes in your patients.

Statement of Educational Need

Approximately 3.2 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and it is estimated that less than 50% will achieve viral eradication when treated with standard therapy with pegylated interferon and ribavirin. Clinicians involved in the treatment of HCV must be proficient with new therapies that may improve treatment responses in these patients. Cutting-edge information on the best treatment options often is not readily available to practitioners, and a review of the most up-to-date information is necessary to overcome existing knowledge gaps. Clinicians need education surrounding the best practices for integrating new direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) into existing treatment paradigms.

Purpose of the program

This CME program will provide health care providers with point-of-care access to experts who will provide insight and tools for clinicians to appropriately initiate DAA treatments and manage the new and unique aspects of these agents.

Target Audience

This activity has been designed to support the medical education needs of gastroenterologists, hepatologists, specialist nurse practitioners (NPs)/physician assistants (PAs), primary care providers, health care teams, and other clinicians who treat or wish to treat patients with HCV.

Learning Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants should be better prepared to:

• Identify and reinforce comprehensive best practices in HCV treatment
• Discuss how DAAs uniquely target the hepatitis C virus and detail their anticipated benefits, side effects, and potential role in therapy
• Discuss the complementary and critical roles of pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) in triple combination therapy with protease inhibitors
• Identify appropriate candidates for triple therapy combinations and their expected outcomes
• Evaluate the viral kinetic responses that define the non-responder and relapse populations and assess the options and expected outcomes for retreatment with PEG-IFN and RBV vs triple therapy with PIs
• Identify and address AEs and potential drug-drug interactions related to PIs
• Evaluate viral resistance and implement strategies to prevent resistance and to identify when treatment should be halted
• Identify host factors, including new genetic markers, that impact patient response to antiviral therapy and may influence treatment decision-making

CME Information

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of the University of New Mexico Office of Continuing Medical Education, Project ECHO, and Consensus Medical Communications. The University of New Mexico Office of Continuing Medical Education is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Office of Continuing Medical Education designates this live/enduring material/journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 36 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Requirements for Successful Completion

Participants must register by creating an online account. All participants are encouraged to complete the pre-program survey. In order to receive credit, participants must participate in the activity and complete the posttest and evaluation form.

Instructions for Receiving Credit

At the end of the presentation the attendee will need to complete two posttest questions and the program evaluation form. Upon submitting these questions, the attendee will have the option to print a CME certificate through the online account created during registration.

Conflict of Interest Policy

In accordance with ACCME requirements, the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, has a conflict of interest policy that requires faculty to disclose relevant financial relationships related to the content of their presentations/materials. Any potential conflicts are resolved so that presentations are evidence-based and scientifically balanced. The relationships were reviewed by UNM CME and conflicts of interest were resolved prior to the activity.

Statement of Commercial Support

This activity is jointly sponsored by The University of New Mexico School of Medicine Office of Continuing Medical Education, Project ECHO, and Consensus Medical Communications.

This activity is supported by educational grants from Vertex, Merck, and Genentech.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of patient conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Participants are advised that this activity may include discussion on therapeutic products or agents that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and may contain information regarding off-label uses of approved products or agents. Participants should verify all information and data before treating patients or employing any therapies described in this educational activity. Before prescribing any medicine, primary references and full prescribing information should be consulted.

The content and views presented in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect those of University of New Mexico (UNM), Consensus Medical Communications (CMC), Vertex, Merck, and/or Genentech. The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and/or participants and do not necessarily represent the opinions of UNM, CMC, Vertex, Merck, and/or Genentech.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

Participants are advised that this activity may include discussion on therapeutic products or agents that have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and may contain information regarding off-label uses of approved products or agents. Participants should verify all information and data before treating patients or employing any therapies described in this educational activity. Before prescribing any medicine, primary references and full prescribing information should be consulted.

System Requirements

• Connectivity
• Internet connection (for presentations and video)
• Land-line or mobile phone connection (for audio)

• Browsers
• Internet Explorer 7+
• Webkit-based browsers (Google Chrome, Safari)
• Mozilla Firefox

• Tablets & Smartphones
• iOS-based tablets and smartphones (iPhone/iPod/iPad) with Adobe Connect Mobile installed
• Android-based tablets and smartphones with Adobe Connect Mobile installed

Contact Information

For activity information or technical issues, please contact: Project ECHO support@echohcvexperts.com