Altarum Launches Nationally-Accredited Continuing Education Program to Drive Quality Improvement in Health Care

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Altarum announces the launch of a nationally-accredited continuing health care education program to improve clinical quality of care and health outcomes of vulnerable and publicly insured populations while lowering costs.

Altarum offers MOC Part IV programs, accredited by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which provide up to 25 credits per course. These courses are in-depth, long-term, and hands-on, engaging all clinical staff to achieve sustained and measurable change in clinical delivery and workflows. Eligible participants can also earn up to 30 Performance Improvement AMA PRA Category 1™ credits, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

Designed to achieve system-wide quality improvement, Altarum trains clinicians in a range of disciplines, including childhood dental disease, opioid addiction, depression, medication adherence, and complex trauma.

Altarum combines the Plan-Do-Study-Act method with technical assistance from certified trainers and quality improvement advisors who work closely with the entire care team to ensure medical practices achieve measurable results with ease.

“Our approach to CME and MOC helps clinicians and other health providers institutionalize new practices needed to achieve markedly better outcomes in priority populations, particularly among patients suffering from chronic conditions,” says Gregory Makris, MD, medical director at Altarum.

Altarum has provided continuing education for federal and state clients for over five years, beginning with SmileConnect^®, an integrated oral health care model that includes a CME/MOC Part IV program that Altarum developed with funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Through SmileConnect, Altarum helped providers improve oral health screenings and referrals for children covered by Medicaid or CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program), resulting in nearly one million additional children in Michigan receiving earlier access to preventive oral health services, resources, and dental referrals.

Altarum has also created and led continuing education courses in a variety of behavioral health disciplines, and provided technical assistance to transition providers to value-based care through the (CMS)-funded Great Lakes Practice Transformation Network. This work has resulted in savings of more than $220 million in health care costs to Michigan and Ohio.

“Our continuing education program achieves uncommon results due to our hands-on approach and our close involvement in measurement and reporting. Altarum also has a 40-year history working with government insurers on a variety of population and public health issues. These two qualities distinguish Altarum from other CME and MOC providers,” says Eileen Bailey, director of Continuing Education at Altarum.

To learn more about Altarum’s continuing health care education program, individual courses, and eligibility credits, visit Altarum.org/CE or contact Eileen Bailey, director of Continuing Education at eileen.bailey@altarum.org.

About Altarum

Altarum is a nonprofit health care consulting and research institute that creates solutions to advance health among vulnerable and publicly insured populations. With roots in health care dating back 40 years, Altarum works with government insurance programs to develop and implement improvements to address the unique population health challenges of their beneficiaries. Altarum’s solutions are holistic, enabled by technology, and focused on prevention and appropriate care. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a large presence in Washington, D.C., Altarum employs over 400 professionals nationwide. Learn more at Altarum.org.

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