NEW ORLEANS, May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) officially launched its Primary Care Obesity Management Certificate Program with a live workshop during AAPA Conference 2018 in New Orleans. This program supports PAs and NPs who are interested in expanding care to patients affected by obesity. It was developed in collaboration with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA), The AXDEV Group (AXDEV), and Integrated Learning Partners (ILP).
"With chronic medical conditions like obesity on the rise, an all-hands-on-deck approach is necessary; and with more than 30,000 PAs practicing in primary care, they are a critical group of medical professionals who can and already do make a positive impact for patients affected by obesity," said L. Gail Curtis, PA-C, MPAS, DFAAPA, president and chair of the AAPA Board of Directors. "This program will give PAs practical resources to help them take their knowledge of obesity medicine to the next level and be a driving force in helping reverse the negative effects of obesity in the United States."
In its inaugural year, 50 PAs will take part in the program, which includes participation in quarterly webinars, engagement in an online learning community, individualized coaching, and two practice-related quality improvement projects—one clinically focused and the second business focused. In addition, with support from other learners, peers, faculty, and coaches, participants will engage in a rich social and collaborative learning community.
"Obesity has become a major health problem. The importance of addressing prevention and treatment of obesity is critical at every provider-patient encounter in the primary care setting," said Sherlyn Celone, CEO and founder of Integrated Learning Partners. "This practice improvement initiative is designed to empower and better equip PAs and NPs with knowledge, skills, competence, and confidence to improve clinical performance that optimizes patient engagement."
Upon completion of the program, participants will earn more than 30 continuing medical education (CME) credits and receive an OMA-issued Certificate of Primary-Care Obesity Management, recognizing the provider has reached a higher-level of expertise in treating patients affected by obesity.
"This important initiative, that will support PAs and NPs in their clinical decision-making, competencies and, performance, will address the challenges related to obesity medicine," said Suzanne Murry, CEO and Founder of AXDEV Group International. "We are committed to measuring the impact of this important program and bring evidence to the forefront, which will provide all collaborators and learners the opportunity to continue the efforts needed to address obesity."
Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that more than one-third of adults are affected by obesity. Adults affected by obesity are also more likely to suffer from other chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer—some of the leading causes of preventable death.
Last year, AAPA developed Obesity Leadership Edge (OLE), an online curriculum and prerequisite to the certificate program, that provides PAs with the skills they need to effectively communicate about weight with their patients.
For more information about the Primary Care Obesity Management Certificate Program visit aapa.org.
About the American Academy of PAs
AAPA is the national organization that advocates for all PAs and provides tools to improve PA practice and patient care. Founded in 1968, AAPA represents a profession of more than 123,000 PAs across all medical and surgical specialties in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories and the uniformed services. Visit www.aapa.org to learn more.
About The AXDEV Group
AXDEV is a recognized global behavioral research and performance improvement organization that has over twenty years of experience (since 1997), in applied and implementation research, strategic planning, education psychology and instructional design, for the healthcare sector. Their expertise has focused on assessment of human behaviors, professional competencies and performance at the individual, team, management and system levels. AXDEV has a track record of over 35 published studies, in peer reviewed journals, and has received numerous awards in educational research and performance improvement programs internationally.
About Integrated Learning Partners
Integrated Learning Partners (ILP) is a solutions-oriented consulting firm that was founded in 2009, and is located in Westport, CT. ILP excels in strategic planning, medical education, performance optimization, interdisciplinary team training, practice management coaching, and patient engagement solutions. ILP's mission is to pioneer integrative, team-based medical and health education solutions that improve health care providers' clinical and professional competencies as well as patient health. ILP has extensive experience providing quality and practice improvement coaching in the area of obesity management in primary care.
SOURCE American Academy of PAs
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