AdvancePCS Launches Interactive Tool for Physician Education.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

IRVING, Texas--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 4, 2001

AdvancePCS, (Nasdaq:ADVP) the nation's leading health improvement company, has developed and launched a customized, interactive learning tool to help physicians meet their continuing medical education (CME) needs.

The new program, called CMEdirect, provides a more efficient and enjoyable medium for physicians to fulfill their regulatory requirements and should help increase physician compliance with nationally accepted treatment protocols.

CMEdirect focuses on treating disease states according to the latest medical standards. The CD-ROM-based educational program automatically customizes educational material for each physician learner based on an assessment of their baseline knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about a class of health conditions.

By eliminating material that is either already known or not useful, and personalizing the educational messages according to how each physician is used to learning, CMEdirect makes learning interesting and relevant to a larger audience of doctors.

"Traditional methods of educating physicians are passive and limited to a one-way flow of information from articles, seminars or textbooks," said Andrew Garling, M.D., senior vice president, clinical operations for AdvancePCS. "The approach we have developed makes learning an engaging, personalized process in which physicians can set their own pace and focus directly on what they need to learn."

AdvancePCS is launching CMEdirect through its field force of 140 clinical consultants, who meet with physicians daily, and through the company's physician newsletter, RxReview. There is no cost to physicians to obtain or use the program.

Each CMEdirect course comes with user-friendly instructions about how to complete the computer-based program. After inserting the CD-ROM, the physician learner answers a series of questions designed to assess the user's level of knowledge as well as attitudes and beliefs about the subject.

Then, the program automatically personalizes educational modules based on results of the initial assessment. When the physician is ready, he or she answers a quiz and returns the enclosed computer disk with the responses. CME credit is awarded within a few weeks. Each module can be completed in 40 minutes.

The first CMEdirect course is on osteoporosis prevention and treatment. AdvancePCS clinicians developed the program content using the most recent guidelines from the National Osteoporosis Foundation, peer-reviewed scientific journals, and the input of two internationally recognized osteoporosis experts.

The course is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through CME Consultants Inc., an independent continuing medical education test administration organization, and has been approved by the American Medical Association.

AdvancePCS is creating other CMEdirect programs that focus on antibiotic usage, gastrointestinal treatments, women's health issues, and pain management. These additional programs are scheduled to be available in early 2002.

To increase flexibility and reach as many physician learners as possible, AdvancePCS also is developing an Internet-based version of CMEdirect that will allow physicians to submit their responses electronically.

"Our research has shown that a customized approach to education helps physicians learn and retain pertinent medical information better," said Garling. "Our objective with the program is to help increase the knowledge base from which physicians make decisions and help them to be more aware of treatment alternatives. We believe this will translate directly into improved health for patients."

The CMEdirect osteoporosis course is available by calling AdvancePCS at 800/426-4488, ext. 2586.

About AdvancePCS

AdvancePCS (www.advancepcsrx.com) is the nation's largest independent provider of health improvement services, touching the lives of more than 75 million health plan members and managing more than $21 billion in annual prescription drug spending. The company offers health plans a wide range of health improvement products and services designed to improve the quality of care delivered to health plan members.

The company's capabilities include integrated mail service and retail pharmacy networks, innovative clinical services, customized disease management programs, specialty pharmacy, clinical trials and outcomes research, information management, and prescription drug services for the uninsured.

AdvancePCS clients include Blue Cross and Blue Shield organizations, insurance companies and HMOs, Fortune 500 employers, Taft-Hartley groups, state and local governments, and other health plan sponsors.