Timely Hot Topics + A Cool Learning Opportunity = 2022 Virtual Summer Symposium

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

By: Kathryn Atkinson, CMP

Manager of NCAFP Meetings & Events

~ Keeping You in the Know ~ Timely Hot Topics + A Cool Learning Opportunity = 2022 Virtual Summer Symposium

Your NCAFP CME Team remains dedicated to delivering top-quality education in convenient and versatile formats. And now, back by popular demand, we are thrilled to offer the NCAFP’s 2nd Annual Virtual Summer Symposium on Saturday, August 6, 2022, from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm. Under the direction of Program Chair Dr. Thomas R. White, the convenient learning opportunity will provide attendees with approximately 6 Prescribed Credits by their participation. This lively interactive webcast means you can enjoy valuable education centered on the topics you see and treat most often – all from the comfort of your favorite air-conditioned location this August.

In keeping with our trademark of timely hot topics presented by expert guest speakers, this summertime CME opportunity has something for everyone. The slate of highly requested clinical presentations includes hyperkalemia, Alzheimer’s, overactive bladder, type 2 diabetes, PrEP Update, foot disorders in older adults, and newborn care. There is even an optional pre-conference virtual KSA opportunity on heart disease on Friday, April 5, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm. KSA participants can expect to earn an additional 8 CME credits and 10 ABFM activity points.

In addition to a forty-five-minute coding and billing update, the Summer Symposium will also include an important presentation from the NC Medical Board highlighting “after-Covid” changes and requirements surrounding telemedicine and virtual visits. Attendees can also count on live Q&A sessions and unique Meet the Expert Zoom Room opportunities throughout the day. The one-day program will also feature the NCAFP’s super-user-friendly events app designed to allow learners to easily claim CME credit, connect with colleagues, download slide presentations, review speaker bios, and much more.

Plan to spend your day with us on Saturday, August 6, 2022, as you expand your clinical knowledge and stay up to date with practical and valuable information that you’re sure to begin using right away. Registration fees are $160 for members and $225 for non-members. You can review the complete schedule along with the guest speaker line-up and submit your online registration at www.ncafp.com/summercme.

Please contact Kathryn Atkinson, CMP, Manager of NCAFP Meetings and Events with any questions you may have. We look forward to learning with you in August!

UPCOMING THIS JUNE - NCAFP Partners with The Governor’s Institute to Offer Important, Unique and Free Virtual Complex Pain CME Opportunity this June

By: Kathryn Atkinson, CMP NCAFP Manager of Meetings & Events

This June, family physicians and their healthcare partners can participate in several complimentary virtual learning opportunities intended to expand a clinician’s expertise in treating complex pain through training and consultation.

Several flexible 3-hour virtual learning sessions (divided into Parts I and II) will equip our members and other primary care providers with the knowledge, skills, and support needed to manage chronic pain in patients with comorbidities. The sessions are free, and participants can attend as much or as little as they would like for up to 6 CME credits total. Credits earned will also count towards the state’s controlled substance CME requirement for physicians and other healthcare providers.

The courses are available after office hours on Wednesday, June 15 (Part I) & Wednesday, June 22 (Part II) and also on Saturday, June 18 (Parts I in the morning & II in the afternoon). Dr. Steve Prakken, retired Chief of Medical Pain Service at Duke Pain and current Chief of Avance Medical Pain Service, will facilitate the sessions. Learning objectives for the entire activity include:

• Identify the main mechanisms of pain, pain expression in acute and chronic conditions, and pain management options.

• Identify common psychiatric diagnoses that occur in chronic pain patients and explore treatment options.

• Identify and better understand the physiological effects of potentially addictive substances and various treatment options.

• Identify the complex pain in patients with multiple comorbidities and explore treatment options.

The Governor’s Institute conducted important research illustrating why this valuable learning opportunity is so helpful and very necessary for North Carolina’s primary care physicians and their patients. PROBLEM: The nexus of pain, addiction, and mental illness accounts for 20-35% of all healthcare expenses (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26082321/). The pandemic has only exacerbated the overlapping crises of opioid addiction, inadequate access to psychiatric care, and the general unavailability of pain management. Opioid overdoses are now at an all-time high, and demand for mental health services has risen sharply. Pain management, particularly for patients with behavioral health comorbidities, is not available to many North Carolinians.

OPIOID EPIDEMIC: Initial efforts to stem the tide of the escalating opioid epidemic revolved around efforts to reduce access to prescription opioids. These efforts included statewide training on recommended practices for chronic pain and safer opioid prescribing practices. As overdose numbers continued to increase, regulatory agencies and boards, and legislatures were activated. Regulatory boards adopted guidelines and mechanisms for identifying outlier prescribers and legislatures enacted laws putting restrictions on opioid prescribing. The medical community took note, and prescriptions decreased. Because of the oversight measures, many clinicians have opted to exit pain management completely and/or sharply reduce the numbers and dosages of opioid prescriptions. At least 25% of providers in North Carolina have subsequently stopped treating pain (NCMB Survey 2018). Already grossly underserved, the chronic pain population continues to expand as the population ages, further complicating pain management access. With sharply reduced access to pain management, patients are suffering, with observable consequences both in terms of

See 'Governor's Institute' on back cover