New Smartphone Application Rewards Physicians With CME Credit for Online Medical Research

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of medical information, has launched XtraCredit(r), an iPhone(r) and iPod Touch(r) application that provides physicians with continuing medical education (CME) credit for clinical research done online. XtraCredit was developed by the Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute, a Wolters Kluwer Health subsidiary, in partnership with software developer RSi/FocalSearch.

Using XtraCredit, physicians can receive CME credit for online searches of a range of professional sources, including medical books and journals published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a leading medical and health publisher. Users can download the application at no charge from http://xtracredit.com/iphone or directly from the iTunes AppStore. Following a search, users document their search experience, noting the approved resource and the impact of the search on their work, and pay a small fee to receive CME credit.

"More than 50% of physicians are now using smartphones to support their clinical practice and as first-line reference resources," said Karen Overstreet, Executive Director of Lippincott CME Institute. "We are pleased to offer our readers and customers a simple way to gain the CME credit they need for answering clinical questions to enhance patient care. XtraCredit is a seamless integration of a physician's needs for both credit and clinical information."

Many U.S. states require medical professionals to complete an established number of continuing medical education credits to remain certified and licensed. Many specialty societies and hospitals also require physicians to complete CME activities to maintain their Board certification and admitting privileges. CME credits are awarded for classes, presentations and other live events, written publications, online programs, audio, video, or other electronic media.  The internet point of care learning format used by XtraCredit was approved by the AMA in 2006.  XtraCredit allows physicians to use text or dictation to earn credit for their online searching, regardless of whether the research is completed on the phone, on a computer, or via an approved evidenced-based clinical decision support system.

About Lippincott Continuing Education Institute

Lippincott CME Institute is one of the few publishing companies in the world accredited to provide CE for both physicians and pharmacists. Lippincott CME Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education to provide certified continuing education. Lippincott CME Institute certifies CE activities for Wolters Kluwer Health products and brands.

About Wolters Kluwer Health

Wolters Kluwer Health, is a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health and pharmacy. Major brands include traditional publishers of medical and drug reference tools and textbooks, such as Lippincott Williams & Wilkins and Facts & Comparisons(r); and electronic information providers, such as Ovid(r), UpToDate(r), Medi-Span(r),  and ProVation(r) Medical.

Wolters Kluwer Health, is part of Wolters Kluwer, a leading global information services and publishing company. The company provides products and services for professionals in the health, tax, accounting, corporate, financial services, legal, and regulatory sectors. Wolters Kluwer had 2008

annual revenues of  EUR3.4 billion ($4.9 billion), employs approximately 20,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations in over 35 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted

on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Visit www.wolterskluwer.com for information about our market positions, customers, brands, and organization.

About RSi/FocalSearch, Inc.

RSi/FocalSearch is a privately-held software developer focused on the use of technology in support of medical education.  Based in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, the company has supported innovative online education for physicians for more than thirty years.

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SOURCE Wolters Kluwer Health