Population-Based Health in Practice: Addressing Health-Related Social Needs for Veteran Patients

Launch Date

10/17/2025

Credit Amount

0.5

Credit Expires

12/15/2026

Faculty

Maia Carter, MD, MPH, FACHE

Moderator

Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician

Public Sector

Donna L. Washington, MD, MPH, FACP

Professor of Medicine

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Geffen School of Medicine

Los Angeles, CA

Statement of Need

Patients who are also Veterans present with a variety of complex health-related social needs (HRSN) that make accessing, receiving, and benefiting from clinical care challenging. An increasing number of veterans are now homeless, substance use disorders and suicide attempts are common among these patients, and there is a significant lack of access to critical mental health services, especially among young military veterans. When examined intersectionally, Veteran patients who are also from racial/ethnic underserved communities and/or identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community are at even greater risk of adverse health outcomes. Patient perspectives bear this out, with Black and Hispanic men and women reporting worse self-rated health, greater Veterans’ Administration (VA) healthcare utilization, and more combat exposure than their White counterparts.

In this CMEO Snack, expert faculty will meet to discuss the unique needs of Veteran patients as well as practical strategies that can be integrated into clinical practice (such as cultural humility) to mitigate disparities in treatment and outcomes for this patient population.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, learners will be able to better:

Identify the unique health-related social needs of Veteran patients and their impact on clinical care practices
Incorporate strategies into clinical practice to address the health-related social needs of Veteran patients and improve cultural humility

Financial Support

This program is supported by an independent medical education grant from CVS Health.

Target Audience

Physicians, nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physician associates (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and other applicable health care clinicians

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.

Physicians (ACCME) 0.5

CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Pharmacy Technicians (ACPE) 0.5

This application-based activity is approved for 0.50 contact hours (0.05 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit (JA0007185-0000-23-137-H01-T).

Pharmacists (ACPE) 0.5

This application-based activity is approved for 0.50 contact hours (0.05 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit (JA0007185-0000-23-137-H01-P).

Nurses (ANCC) 0.5

This activity is designated for 0.50 contact hours.

California Residents: Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # CEP 15510, for 0.50 Contact Hours.

Interprofessional (IPCE) 0.5

This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 0.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education Credit for learning and change.

Physician Assistants (AAPA) 0.5

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 0.50 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Approval is valid until 12/14/2026. PAs should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

ABIM MOC 0.5

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 0.50 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Dietetics (CDR)

Completion of this RD/DTR profession-specific or IPCE activity awards CPEUs (1 IPCE credit = 1 CPEU). If the activity is dietetics-related but not targeted to RDs or DTRs, CPEUs may be claimed which are commensurate with participation in contact hours (1 hour/60 minutes = 1 CPEU). RDs and DTRs are to select activity type 102 in their Activity Logs. Performance Indicator selection is at the learner’s discretion.

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. Carter reports no financial relationships to disclose.

Dr. Washington reports no financial relationships to disclose.

The following individuals have no financial relationships to disclose:

Marlon (Tony) Graham, MD (Peer Reviewer)
Michael Franks, APRN, AGACNP-BC, FNP-BC (Peer Reviewer)
Morgan Stockberger, MD (Planning Committee)
Jessica Whelan, DNP, APRN, FPMHNP-BC, RN-BC (Planning Committee)
Susan H. Yarbrough, CHCP (Planning Committee)
Sandra Caballero, PharmD (Planning Committee)
Sharon Tordoff (Planning Committee)

*All identified conflicts of interest have been mitigated.

Unlabeled Use Disclosure
Faculty of this CME/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. CME Outfitters, LLC, the faculty, planners, and reviewers do not endorse the use of any product outside of the FDA labeled indications. Medical professionals should not utilize the procedures, products, or diagnosis techniques discussed during this activity without evaluation of their patient for contraindications or dangers of use.

Obtaining Credit

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 (70% pass rate required). This website supports all browsers except Internet Explorer for Mac.