American Medical Association -AMA- Selects UpToDate for its CME Internet Pilot Program; UpToDate Now Offers Web-Based, Self-Directed Self-Initiated CME for Physicians.

Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers

WELLESLEY, Mass. and CHICAGO--(BW HealthWire)--Feb. 25, 2002

The American Medical Association (AMA) has selected UpToDate, a leading clinical information service for physicians, to be part of its Self-Directed / Self-Initiated (SDSI) Internet CME Pilot Project. The AMA, which has oversight over the AMA Physician's Recognition Award (PRA) category 1 and category 2 medical education credit system, established the SDSI Internet Pilot project to help examine new methods of learning by physicians and explore ways to keep the AMA PRA credit system in line with the changing educational needs of physicians.

"The Physician's Recognition Award program must constantly evolve to meet the learning needs of today's physicians," said Dr. Dennis Wentz, director, continuing physician professional development, American Medical Association. "UpToDate was selected to be part of this pilot program because of their continuing commitment to providing top quality, self-directed continuing education for physicians within a patient-based context."

UpToDate is committed to helping physicians provide the best possible care for their patients. The UpToDate service, offered via web and CD-ROM, is created through the cooperation of over 2,900 internationally recognized physician authors. UpToDate provides physicians with current, authoritative, clinically focused information and useful and practical guidance about how best to diagnose and treat individual patients. Physicians who subscribe to UpToDate can earn AMA PRA category 1CME credit for time spent actively using the service to find answers to clinical questions.

"Traditional medical training during residency is patient-centered because it is believed to be the best means for learning and retaining information," said Dr. Burton Rose, founder and editor-in-chief of UpToDate and Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. "UpToDate offers physicians a way to continue practicing patient-centered learning, while at the same time providing top quality patient care."

With the newest release of its service, UpToDate version 10.1, the company is now offering its individual subscribers the ability to earn AMA PRA credits while using the web-version of UpToDate in addition to the CD-ROM version. The service automatically logs the amount of time the physician is actively using UpToDate. The physician can then claim one hour of category 1 CME credit for learning that results from every hour spent using UpToDate. This new feature was added as more physicians are consulting UpToDate on the web for patient care and continuing education. For more information or to order, visit the UpToDate web site at www.uptodate.com.

About the AMA (www.ama-assn.org)

Founded more than 150 years ago, the American Medical Association is the largest medical association in the world and is the nation's principal advocate for patients and their physicians. It sets standards for the profession of medicine and is an influential leader in the continuing national debate over health care. The AMA's work includes the development and promotion of standards in medical practice, research and education; a strong advocacy agenda on behalf of patients and physicians; and the commitment to providing accurate, timely information and discourse on matters important to the health of America. For more information, please visit www.ama-assn.org.

About UpToDate (www.uptodate.com)

Based in Wellesley, Massachusetts, UpToDate is the most complete, current and practical clinical resource providing fast answers to clinical questions and authoritative advice on complex patient problems. The UpToDate service includes access to the equivalent of over 40,000 pages of text written for UpToDate by experts in the field. The text is evidence-based, contains specific recommendations where relevant, is fully referenced (including over 100,000 Medline abstracts), and contains 10,000 graphics and access to a complete drug information database. Each new version contains the entire UpToDate library, including adult primary care and internal medicine, cardiovascular medicine, endocrinology and diabetes, family practice, gastroenterology and hepatology, hematology, infectious diseases, nephrology and hypertension, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, pulmonary and critical care medicine, and rheumatology, with pediatrics slated to launch later this year. All of the material is integrated within one service that can be used at the point of care, as the doctor is seeing the patient. UpToDate can be contacted at www.uptodate.com.