Why CEU's

EP Lab Efficiencies Description:

To ensure optimal care and outcomes for patients with atrial fibrillation, hospitals and electrophysiologists will need to take a systems-based approach to EP lab efficiency, focused on standardizing processes while reducing waste and errors. Fortunately, the same processes used to achieve improvement in patient safety and outcomes, and even facilitate research, can simultaneously result in improved capacity.

On May 27-28, 2021, a group of Heart Rhythm Society members and staff visited Dr. Jose Osorio and his EP team at Grandview Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama. The purpose of the visit was to learn about the improvement processes put in place to enhance both quality and efficiency. HRS members in attendance included electrophysiologists at different stages of their own quality improvement journeys. This video series captures the group's observations and the many lessons learned during the visit. The group describes how the transformational approach to quality improvement that Dr. Osorio and his team have implemented successfully at their program in Birmingham can be accomplished in EP labs everywhere.

Learners will be able to view the full series of 7 videos or select only the topics and sections of interest. Transcripts for each video are also provided.
The 7 videos cover the following areas of focus:
(1) why EP labs should focus on efficiency;
(2) an explanation of the Grandview model;
(3) how to implement principles of quality improvement in an EP lab;
(4) the importance of team member involvement;
(5) the relationship between electrophysiology and anesthesiology departments;
(6) engagement with the patient and caregiver; and
(7) reproducing the model in your own institution. 

Learning Objectives Upon completion of this activity, participant should be able to:

1. Describe how to standardize processes to achieve better outcomes.
2. Create a cohesive team environment, improve staff morale, and reduce turnover by involving staff in setting expectations and by creating predictable work schedules.
3. Develop a standard protocol for the patient experience.
4. Construct processes, identify benchmarks, set expectations, and measure improvements.
5. Describe how to reduce turnover time.
6. Explain how to work with the anesthesiology department to schedule patients and implement protocols that improve patient care.
7. Determine a plan for implementing efficiency in the EP lab.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for all who study and treat heart rhythm disorders. 

Duration: 75 minutes

CEU Value: 1.5

CSCT CEU STANDARDS SECTION: 2F

Link:     The Future of TAVR: Assessing the Rapidly Evolving Role of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement | myCME 

Description:

Program Description

 Thanks to a robust and rapidly growing evidence base, including shorter hospital stays and faster recovery periods, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is now the standard of care for the majority of patients with aortic stenosis (AS), including patients with low risk for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Nevertheless, many questions remain about factors that affect ventricular function recovery and long-term outcomes following TAVR.

In this video roundtable, 5 nationally known experts discuss approaches to patient selection, post-TAVR hemodynamic assessments and their prognostic implications, including the impact of patient-prosthesis mismatch and paravalvular leak on long-term outcomes, as well as implementing the optimal antithrombotic regimen following TAVR. 

Duration: 60 minutes

CEU Value: 1

CSCT CEU STANDARDS SECTION: 2F

Link:      TAVR Today: Real-World Challenges; Real-World Opportunities (mycme.com) 

Description:

Program Description

Aortic stenosis is relatively common in older adults. Once symptoms develop, the condition is rapidly fatal without treatment. Effective therapy historically has involved surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), an intervention for which many patients were not candidates due to surgical risk. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has revolutionized the treatment of aortic stenosis, demonstrating equivalence or benefit compared with surgery for an ever-growing range of patients. It is now guideline-recommended for patients at prohibitive and high surgical risk, is a recommended option in those at intermediate risk, and has demonstrated benefit in those at low surgical risk. Despite these advances, untreated aortic stenosis is common and many clinicians remain unaware of the benefits of TAVR and how to identify candidates for TAVR and SAVR. This roundtable features a leading cardiac surgeon and a noted interventional cardiologist with a prominent clinical cardiologist reviewing the latest data about TAVR and SAVR along with when to recommend each procedure.

Duration: 75 minutes

CEU Value: 1.5

CSCT CEU STANDARDS SECTION: 2F

Link:  https://www.mycme.com/courses/navigating-the-evolving-paradigm-in-heart-failure-the-emerging-impact-of-sglt2-inhibition-7393

Description:

Program Description

This enduring activity evaluates the pathophysiologic mechanisms linking type 2 diabetes (T2D) and heart failure (HF), and explores the early evolution of SGLT2 inhibition in the era of cardiovascular outcomes trials (CVOTs). Expert faculty examine new and emerging CVOT data for SGLT2 inhibitors in HFrEF and HFpEF, including recent approvals and updated guideline recommendations, and offer insights into how these agents are shifting the HF treatment paradigm and broadening horizons for both diabetic and nondiabetic patients. To reinforce these teaching points within the context of an integrated treatment approach, participants will be engaged in a case-based discussion focused on the implementation of SGLT2 inhibitors in HF patients predicated on evolving CVOT data, in tandem with identification of key characteristics of an effective, integrated approach to HF management.

Duration: 90 minutes

CEU Value: 1.5

CSCT CEU STANDARDS SECTION: 2F

Link:   Keeping the Beat: Screening and Management of Non-Valvular Atrial Fibrulation | myCME 

Description:

 Program Description

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, projected to affect 12 million Americans by 2030. However, a significant number of AF cases, particularly non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) remain undiagnosed, putting patients at risk for severe cardiovascular (CV) complications, including increased risk of stroke. It is imperative that clinicians identify the symptomatology of AF and effectively diagnose NVAF, as these complications can potentially be avoided by increased screening and guideline-directed anticoagulation treatment. Unfortunately, despite the fact that both opportunistic and systematic screening have been shown to be effective in detecting NVAF, clinicians often lack knowledge of the available tools and strategies for implementing it, particularly in primary care settings.

 This CME Outfitters Live and OnDemand webcast will feature expert faculty addressing the impact of undiagnosed NVAF, the benefit and use of screening tools for early detection, best practices for optimizing screening, implementing oral anticoagulant therapy for stroke prevention, and the use of digital health technologies, with a goal of fostering collaborative care and optimizing patient outcomes.