Virtual Symposium: ABC Access To Care Initiative: Overcoming Disparities and Gaps in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) remains underdiagnosed and undertreated, which increases ASCVD risk, morbidity and mortality in HF patients.

In addition, the relatively low insurance approvals for newer LDL-C lowering agents, even for high-risk FH patients, has limited patients’ access to these necessary therapies, increasing their risk for morbidity and mortality. These challenges in diagnosis and treatment are even more apparent in racial and ethnic minorities.

The Access to Health Care Initiative of the Association of Black Cardiologists (ABC) has set as its mission to address  critical issues in a changing health care landscape by revealing disparities faced by minorities and high-risk patients in cardiovascular care, including FH, and promulgating solutions to diminished access, especially to newer medications and therapies.  This activity will aim to address the challenges in advances in FH diagnosis and treatment, as well as aid clinicians in optimizing the care for FH patients in concordance with established guidelines, regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. 

Target Audience

This activity is designed for US-based healthcare professionals, including primary care clinicians (PCPs), nurse practitioners (NPs), physician assistants (PAs), endocrinologists, diabetologists, pharmacists, cardiologists, lipidologists, and other allied health professionals.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

  • Define the FH pathophysiology, increased ASCVD risk with FH, and its clinical presentation
  • Utilize current and emerging diagnostic approaches aimed to optimize the early identification of patients with FH
  • Interpret the efficacy and safety of current and emerging therapeutic options for the treatment of FH
  • Employ strategies and resources aimed at improving the access of patients with FH to medically-necessary therapies
  • Develop individualized treatment regimens to lower LDL-C and address ASCVD risk in patients with FH, based on the current guidelines, including the 2018 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines, and evidence about statin and non-statin therapies
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.50 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit
  • 1.50 ANCC
  • 1.50 CDE
  • 1.50 Participation
Course opens: 
01/20/2021
Course expires: 
01/20/2022
Rating: 
0

Keith C. Ferdinand, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASPC, FNLA  (Chair)
Gerald S. Berenson Endowed Chair in Preventive Cardiology
Professor of Medicine
John W. Deming Department of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
New Orleans, LA

Dr. Ferdinand discloses the following: 

  • Consulting Fees: Amgen, Novartis, Quantum, Genomics, Medtronic


Christie M. Ballantyne, MD
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Section of Cardiovascular Research
Chief, Section of Cardiology
Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine
Director, Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Baylor College of Medicine
Methodist DeBakey Heart Center
Houston, TX

Dr. Ballantyne discloses the following: 

  • Grant/Research Support:  All significant. (All paid to institution, not individual): Abbott Diagnostic, Akcea, Amgen, Esperion, Novartis, Regeneron, Roche Diagnostic, NIH, AHA, ADA.
  • Consultant: Abbott Diagnostics, Akcea, Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Corvidia, Denka Seiken, Esperion, Intercept, Janssen, Matinas Bio Pharma Inc., Merck, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Regeneron*, Roche Diagnostic, Sanofi-Synthelabo*
  • *Significant where noted ($10,000); remainder modest (<$10,000)

 


Stephen L. Kopecky, MD, FACC, FACP, FAHA
Professor of Medicine
Mayo Clinic
Rochester, MN

Dr. Kopecky discloses the following: 

  • Consulting Fees: Prime Therapeutics, Amgen
  • Contracted Research: True Health
  • Other: DSMB Member Applied Clinical Intelligence; Chair, BOD Mayo Clinic Support Services

 

 

 

ESTIMATED TIME TO COMPLETE ACTIVITY
1.5 hours

EDUCATIONAL GRANT SUPPORT
Multisupported by educational grants from Esperion Therapeutics, Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation and in partnership with the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc (ABC) and the FH Foundation.

JOINT ACCREDITATION STATEMENT
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In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and Tarsus Cardio Inc. dba Cardiometabolic Health Congress (CMHC). Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

PHYSICIAN CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION
The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credits commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.5 contact hours. Pharmacotherapy contact hours for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses will be designated on your certificate. 

CONTINUING PHARMACY EDUCATION
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this continuing education activity for 1.5 contact hour(s) (.15 CEUs) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.

This is an knowledged-based activity. Universal Activity Numbers (UAN): #JA4008162-9999-20-2491-H01-P

For Pharmacists: Upon completing the post-test and the activity evaluation form, transcript information will be sent to the NABP CPE Monitor Service within 4 – 6 weeks.

CONTINUING DIETICIAN EDUCATION
This program offers 1.5 CPEUs for dieticians.

ABIM MOC CERTIFICATION
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Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.5 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) maintenance of certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) requires instructors, planners, managers, and other individuals who are in a position to control the content of this activity to disclose any real or apparent conflict of interest (COI) they may have as related to the content of this activity. All identified COI are thoroughly vetted and resolved according to PIM policy. PIM is committed to providing its learners with high quality activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest.

The PIM planners and managers have nothing to disclose. The CMHC planners and managers have nothing to disclose.

DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

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 their patient's conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION & REQUEST FOR CREDIT
During the period January 20, 2021 through January 20, 2022, participants must read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures, study the educational activity, obtain a score of 75% or better on the post-test, and complete the evaluation. Upon completing, your certificate will be available for print. For questions about receiving certificates, please contact us at CMHC_Eval@cardiometabolichealth.org.

For questions about the accreditation of this activity, please visit www.pimed.com.

For Pharmacists: Please complete the evaluation instructions above. Upon registering and completing the activity evaluation, your transcript information will be sent to the NABP CPE Monitor Service within 4-6 weeks.

Available Credit

  • 1.50 ACPE Pharmacy
  • 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit
  • 1.50 ANCC
  • 1.50 CDE
  • 1.50 Participation
Please login or register to take this course.

Required Hardware/software

This online activity must be viewed with the latest version of Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer. If you do not have these browsers, you can download Chrome here, Firefox here and Internet Explorer here. Optimal viewing requires a broadband connection of at least 3 Mbps and a 1 GHz processor with 1 GB RAM.