5:00–7:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception (provided)

7:00–8:30 p.m.

Group Dinner (provided)

      7:00 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast

      8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

      8:30 a.m.

Keynote Address — The Evolution and Transmission of Antibiotic Resistance: How Can We Manage this Public Health Threat? Jean Patel, PhD, D(ABMM), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Antibiotics have saved millions of lives from once-deadly infectious diseases; however, misuse of antibiotics and other antimicrobials has led to bacteria evolving resistance. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a threat to global public health — they are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients and individuals in community settings, and consume more health care resources than patients infected with the same bacteria that are not resistant.

During this keynote address, Dr. Patel will discuss the clinical and economic impact of drug-resistant bacteria on the health care system, as well as prevention and intervention strategies that health care professionals can put into place to try to reduce the pervasiveness of these infections.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the clinical and economic impact on the health care system from infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria.
2. Recognize prevention and intervention strategies for the management of antibiotic-resistant infections that may improve public health and deliver economic benefits.
3. Explain the importance of a multidisciplinary approach — including physician and pharmacist experts — in the identification and treatment of infectious diseases.
4. Identify how health care professionals can help reduce the prevalence/impact of antibiotic-resistant infections.

      9:30 a.m.

Break

      9:45 a.m.

New Medications in the Management of Diabetes in Adults, Anne Peters, MD, Keck School of Medicine of USC

Treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) continues to present challenges, and a significant proportion of patients fail to achieve and maintain glycemic targets. Despite the availability of many oral antidiabetic agents, therapeutic efficacy is offset by side effects, such as weight gain and hypoglycemia. There have, however, been several recent advances that offer potentially significant quality-of-life improvements to the diabetic patient. These agents include dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors that have a confined effect on lowering blood glucose and neutral effect on caloric intake; and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which reduce hyperglycemia by increasing urinary glucose excretion independently of insulin secretion or action. During this session, the mechanism of action of new medications for T2DM will be explained, along with other important factors in the management of this disease.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the mechanism of action and therapeutic utility of DPP-4 inhibitors and SGLT1 receptor agonists for the treatment of T2DM.
2. Explain how SGLT2 inhibitors could dramatically improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetes and how this new class of drugs may boost overall health by promoting weight loss.
3. Recognize why glycemic control is important in the long term to reduce the onset and severity of the complications of type 2 diabetes, as well as to reduce macrovascular risk.
4. List drugs that are used to aid weight loss in the management of diabetes and state the significant metabolic benefit of these medications.
5. Discuss the increasing focus on a personalized approach in determining the degree of blood sugar control in this patient population.

    10:45 a.m.

Physician Burnout: The Epidemic of Severely Stressed Physicians, Tait D. Shanafelt, MD, Mayo Clinic

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2012 indicated that burnout is more common among physicians than among other U.S. workers, with nearly half of the physicians surveyed reporting at least one symptom of burnout. Physicians in specialties at the front line of care access seem to be at greatest risk for this epidemic with respect to stress and burnout. Depression and demoralization drive some physicians into early retirement and undermine the quality of patient care by eroding doctors’ compassion and attention to detail. This session will discuss the causes that influence physician stress, the incidence of this epidemic and interventions that may be applied to help alleviate this issue.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize the prevalence of physician burnout across specialties, its potential impact on physicians and patients, and the effect it may have on the shortage of doctors through factors such as early retirement.
2. Identify the factors that lead to increased physician stress, such as increased third-party oversight, the need for increased documentation, the use of electronic medical records, and the pace of new medical information.
3. List potential interventions that may reduce physician burnout.

    11:30 a.m.

Lunch and Exhibits (lunch provided)

      1:00 p.m.

Coronary Heart Disease Risk Assessment and Prevention: Current State of the Art, Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, FACC, FAHA, University of California, Los Angeles

The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recently developed comprehensive treatment recommendations to help health care providers (HCPs) predict and reduce risk for coronary heart disease. These practice-changing recommendations that patients be evaluated for heart disease risk and treated accordingly have caused both confusion and concern among HCPs. The use of a risk calculator — which incorporates such factors as blood pressure, lipid levels, and whether diabetes is present — to assess a person’s risk of developing coronary heart disease and the need for taking cholesterol-lowering drugs has come under question by some for overestimating risk. Based on the new ACC/AHA recommendations, as many as 31 million people may be candidates for statins. Understanding that no algorithm that tries to predict risk is 100 percent accurate, this presentation will discuss the rationale behind the new guidelines and the roadblocks that are still being faced with their successful implementation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss current knowledge regarding risk prediction for coronary heart disease.
2. Explain the rationale that led to the changes in the ACC/AHA blood cholesterol guidelines.
3. Identify the challenges facing the implementation of these guideline-based therapeutic options for coronary heart disease, including the use of pharmacologic agents, as well as nonpharmacologic options, such as diet and exercise and population approaches.

      2:00 p.m.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Are We Making Progress in Managing this Autoimmune Disease? Michael H. Weisman, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that up to 23.5 million Americans suffer from autoimmune disease (AD) and that the prevalence is rising. The annual direct health care costs for AD are estimated to be in the range of $100 billion. Autoimmune disease is a pathologic condition caused by an autoimmune response — an adaptive immune response directed against an antigen within the body of the host (termed a self-antigen). The exact etiology of autoimmune disorders is unknown. Researchers have identified 80–100 different ADs that are chronic and can be life threatening.

With a focus on rheumatoid arthritis (RA), this presentation will review evidence-based treatment guidelines, examine scientific and clinical advances, and identify factors that may improve clinical outcomes and decrease costs in the management of RA.

Learning Objectives:

1. Summarize up-to-date, evidence-based treatment guidelines in the management of patients with RA.
2. Describe recent scientific and clinical advances regarding the pathogenesis and treatment of RA.
3. Recognize opportunities to improve gaps in care and decrease costs in the management of RA.

      3:00 p.m.

Break

      3:15 p.m.

Medication Nonadherence: Are There Effective Interventions that Can Address this Costly, Preventable and Potentially Deadly Behavior? Leah L. Zullig, PhD, MPH, Duke University Medical Center

A survey commissioned by the National Community Pharmacists Association in 2013 reported that millions of adults aged 40 years and older with chronic conditions are departing from physicians’ instructions in taking their medications; failing to fill or refill prescriptions; under- or overdosing; or taking medication prescribed for a different condition or to a different person. Medication nonadherence is a costly (costs are estimated at $290 billion dollars annually) and potentially deadly, yet preventable action. This presentation will outline the barriers, costs and negative health outcomes associated with poor adherence, as well as review the vital role that physicians, pharmacists, and other health care providers have to play in enhancing adherence.

Learning Objectives:

1. State the clinical and economic impact of medication nonadherence.
2. List specific barriers that are associated with poor adherence and increased negative health outcomes.
3. Explain the potential impact of effective health coaching on increasing medication concordance and adherence.
4. Review the role of physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals in enhancing patient medication adherence.
5. Explain how interventions with cognitive-behavior elements may prove effective in helping to reduce nonadherence and negative health outcomes.

4:00–5:00 p.m.

The Role of Genetic Testing for Cancer Susceptibility, Rebecca Sutphen, MD, FACMG, Informed Medical Decisions, Inc.

Breast and ovarian cancers are leading causes of death among women. A possible genetic contribution that may increase a woman’s risk of these cancers is her family history and the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. This presentation will address the implications a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation has on developing breast and/or ovarian cancer and their effect on prognosis and treatment, as well as highlight the benefits and limitations of genetic screening for these mutations.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the appropriate candidate for genetic screening.
2. Discuss the benefits and limitations of genetic screening.
3. Describe the role of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation on prognosis and treatment of breast and ovarian cancer.
4. Recognize the importance of genetic counseling in the cancer risk assessment and genetic testing processes.

5:00–7:00 p.m.

Reception and Exhibits (reception provided)