A Primary Care Initiative to Improve Equitable Screening and Management of NVAF

Faculty

David S. Kountz, MD, MBA, MACP
Co-Chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Academic Diversity, Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH)
Professor of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ
David S. Kountz, MD, MBA, MACP

David S. Kountz, MD, MBA, MACP, is Co-Chief Academic Officer and Vice President for Academic Diversity, Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH), and Professor of Medicine and Founding Sr. Associate Dean for Diversity and Equity, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.

A practicing internist at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Dr. Kountz is a graduate of Princeton University (AB), SUNY/Buffalo School of Medicine (MD), and Georgian Court University (MBA). He holds state and national leadership roles in medical education, including appointment by the Christie administration to the Accreditation Graduate Medical Education Council of New Jersey in 2016.

Dr. Kountz has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, editorials, and abstracts, as well as having served as an investigator on more than 20 grants, including a recent project funded by NHLBI evaluating the value of oral anticoagulants to prevent venous thromboembolic disease in the setting of COVID-19. Dr. Kountz is the 2019 recipient of the Verice M. Mason Community Service Leader Award from the Edward J. Ill Excellence in Medicine Foundation. He was elected to Mastership in the American College of Physicians in 2021.

David J. Cho, MD, MBA
Assistant Clinical Professor Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
Co-Director, Cardiology Quality Program, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Health, Burbank, CA
David J. Cho, MD, MBA

Dr. David Cho is a general cardiologist who practices at UCLA Health. He specializes in both the prevention and management of heart disease, working together with patients to improve their overall health and quality of life.

Dr. Cho received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology. He then obtained his Medical Degree and master?s degree in business administration from a combined program at Tufts University School of Medicine. He returned to California to complete his Internal Medicine Residency and Cardiovascular Medicine Fellowship at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine.

In addition to treating his patients through evidence-based medicine, he hopes to utilize emerging digital health tools to continue to improve the health for all his patients.

He is committed to the academic mission of medicine teaching medical students and residents, as well as close collaboration with the American College of Cardiology, currently serving as Chair of the Healthcare Innovation Section.

Darae Ko, MD, MSc
Assistant Scientist II, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Hebrew SeniorLife Staff Cardiologist, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Darae Ko, MD, MSc

Darae Ko, MD, MSc, is a board-certified cardiologist, echocardiographer, and a NIH-funded early-career clinical investigator with expertise in epidemiology and outcomes of atrial fibrillation. Her research program focuses analysis of real-world data using pharmacoepidemiologic methods to generate evidence for medically complex older adults with atrial fibrillation. She is a practicing cardiologist at Boston Medical Center, the largest safety net hospital in New England.

Statement of Need

Despite its prevalence, a significant number of non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) cases remain undiagnosed, putting patients at risk for cardiovascular complications, including heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, hypertension, diabetes, stroke or embolism, and vascular disease. Primary care physicians face challenges in identifying and managing NVAF, and often fail to implement guideline-concordant care due to a lack of awareness of patients who could benefit from therapy, or lack of confidence in utilizing these therapies. In addition, patients from communities of color often do not receive the same level of care as those from other populations, while new and emerging technologies, such as smart watches, portable ECG devices, and medication/fitness trackers can both enhance patient engagement in care and create clinical quandaries for practitioners.

During this 60-minute Live and OnDemand webcast, an interprofessional panel of experts including a cardiologist, a PCP, and a digital health specialist provide astute perspectives on how to implement equitable and contemporary NVAF screening and management strategies into clinical practice.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this CME/CE activity, participants should be able to:

  • Implement screening in primary care settings to identify patients with NVAF who might benefit from anticoagulant therapy.
  • Integrate current practice guidelines into the care of patients with NVAF.
  • Collaborate with team members and patients to optimize screening and management strategies for NVAF.

Financial Support

Supported by an educational grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance.

Target Audience

Primary care clinicians, nurse practitioners (NPs), nurses, physician assistants (PAs), pharmacists and other clinicians who help care for patients with CVD

Credit Information

Jointly Accredited Provider

In support of improving patient care, CME Outfitters, LLC, 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.

Interprofessional (IPCE) 1.0

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 1.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.

Physicians (ACCME) 1.0

CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses (ANCC) 1.0

This activity is designated for 1.0 contact hour.

Note for California Nurses

This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing. CME Outfitters, LLC’s provider number is CEP15510.

Pharmacists (ACPE) 1.0

This application-based activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour (0.10 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit.
Activity UAN: JA0007185-0000-23-014-H01-P

PAs (AAPA) 1.0

CME Outfitters, LLC, has been authorized by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until the expiration date listed above. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

ABIM MOC 1.0

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 medical knowledge MOC point 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.

MIPS Improvement Activity

Completion of this accredited CME activity meets the expectations of an Accredited Safety or Quality Improvement Program (IA_PSPA_28) for the Merit-based Incentive Payment Program (MIPS). Clinicians should submit their improvement activities by attestation via the CMS Quality Payment Program website.

Royal College MOC

Through an agreement between the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, medical practitioners participating in the Royal College MOC Program may record completion of accredited activities registered under the ACCME’s “CME in Support of MOC” program in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.

Disclosure Declaration

It is the policy of CME Outfitters, LLC, to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, or with the commercial supporter of this CE activity. CME Outfitters, LLC, has evaluated, identified, and mitigated any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that these relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.


Dr. Kountz reports the following financial relationships: Research Support: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).


Dr. Cho has no financial relationships to disclose.


Dr. Ko reports the following financial relationships: Consultant: Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Research Support: Investigator initiated research from Boston Scientific Corporation


The following peer reviewer and CME Outfitters staff have no financial relationships:

  • Elizabeth Naber, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, CNRN, TCRN (peer reviewer)
  • Thomas Mitchell (planning committee)
  • Warren Beckman (planning committee)
  • John Jones, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Susan H. Yarbrough, CHCP (planning committee)
  • Sandra Caballero, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Sharon Tordoff (planning committee)

Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices.

Additional Formats

Post-tests, credit request forms, and activity evaluations must be completed online (requires free account activation), and participants can print their certificate or statement of credit immediately (75% pass rate required). This website supports all browsers except Internet Explorer for Mac. For complete technical requirements and privacy policy, visit our Privacy & Confidentiality page.

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Call us at (877) CME-PROS or (877) 263-7767.

WCV-062-013123-79

A Primary Care Initiative to Improve Equitable Screening and Management of NVAF
Event Date: 01/31/2023