Friday, September 26, 2008

New Pfizer Website on Medication Safety


Pfizer has released a new website focusing on medication safety.

www.Pfizer.com/medicinesafety

This site addresses some important issues regarding drug safety and is designed to be a resource for both healthcare professionals and consumers (or patients if you prefer). For details on specific drugs, the site points you to the FDA or to the PDR website. Of course, they also include a link to their own products.

It's great to see a large pharma investing in drug safety and public health issues. Patients are often so easily misinformed about these types of things.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

2009 CME Requirements for State Licensure Renewal

Wow, is 2008 almost over? The AMA now has an updated 2009 list of CME (continuing medical education) requirements for every state in the US. That document can be found here:

http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/40/table16-2009.pdf

Some states also have specific requirements about mandatory topics that must be covered each year. Examples of such topics include: HIV/AIDS, risk management, cultural competence, pain management, etc. How do you get your CME?

Non-ABSM Board Certification for Medical Doctors


The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABSM) has a list of general and subspecialty medical board certifications. Many consumers don't realize that there is no board certification as a "general practitioner." Family physicians and general internists may refer to themselves using that term since people are familiar with the phrase "GP."

Even healthcare professionals do not realize that "doctors" can get board certified in other fields that are not listed by the ABSM. For instance, the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) offers board certification education. You can become board certified in medical management by the Certifying Commision in Medical Management (CCMM) and become a certified physician executive (CPE). You're probably a physician involved in serious management responsibilities if you're pursuing that board certification. Some doctors interested in non-clinical opportunities have also received this certification. You can also get board certified in medical quality by the American College of Medical Quality (ACMQ).

The American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine (ABIHM) offers board certification in holistic medicine. Some people have very strong opinions about alternative medicine, so I won't get into that somewhat controversial topic right now. You can also become board certified by the American Board of Medical Accupuncture (ABMA).

Have you heard of the American Board of Environmental Medicine (ABEM)? They offer board certification. How about the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP)?

You can become a fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). I do not believe they offer board certification at this time. However, I think that's likely to change in the future.

Well, that's enough for now. I'm sure there are others out there, so I welcome comments from those who know of other non-ABSM board certifications that are available to US physicians.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

4th Integrating Electronic Health Records and eClinical Technologies Conference


Interested in attending a conference on Electronic Health Records (EHRs)? Well, the 4th Annual Integrating Electronic Health Records and eClinical Technologies Conference is about to happen in Baltimore later this month. It doesn't appear to be too late to register for this event that will cover strategies to converge drug development and healthcare IT. I've never attended, but it sounds like a very interesting conference that may be worth checking out if you're new to the industry. These types of conferences are excellent networking and educational opportunities.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Rise in MBA applications

It's no surprise. According to BusinessWeek, more and more people are going back to school. Applications to business schools are on the rise and many are attributing this to the changes in our economy. The personal and financial investment required is significant since most b schools have very high tuition fees.

Are you a lifelong learner? Have you been thinking about b school? Full-time or part-time?