Johns Hopkins and AANP Lead Evidence-based Performance Improvement Initiative to Deliver Tangible Benefits in Constipation Treatment & Outcomes

Business Wire, Oct 6, 2008

About the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

In July 2008, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Johns Hopkins Hospital #1 among American hospitals for the 18th consecutive year. In 2006, the Johns Hopkins Office of CME received "Accreditation with Commendation" for six years, the highest ranking issued by the ACCME. Hopkins CME has been recognized as a center for "Best Practices" and as a resource to ACCME-accredited providers. For more information, please visit www.hopkinscme.edu or contact Victor Marrow, Ph.D., Executive Director, CME's Office of Funded Programs at vmarrow@jhmi.edu.

About the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

With over 25,000 individual members and 154 group members, AANP represents the interests of over 125,000 nurse practitioners. AANP has steadily expanded its services and priorities to meet its mission to serve as a resource for nurse practitioners (NPs), their patients and other healthcare consumers; to promote excellence in practice, education and research; to provide legislative leadership; to advance health policy and establish healthcare standards; and to advocate for access to quality and cost effective healthcare by NPs. As the largest and only full-service national, professional membership organization for NPs of all specialties, AANP advocates at local, state, and federal levels for the recognition of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, and personalized healthcare. For more information, please visit www.aanp.org.

About the Educational Initiative on Constipation

The EIC is a multidisciplinary, performance improvement (PI) CME/CE educational initiative designed to measurably improve the treatment of chronic constipation and IBS-C by gastroenterologists, primary care physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The foundation for this program is a live symposium held at the American College of Gastroenterology 2008 Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course in Orlando, Florida, on October 3-8, 2008.

The core curriculum will focus on improving the knowledge and behavior of healthcare providers in the areas of IBS-C and chronic constipation. The educational program will be presented to participants in various modules containing interventions ranging from a performance improvement component to webinars and video satellite broadcasts.

About Chronic Constipation and IBS with Constipation (IBS-C)

Chronic constipation is a pervasive condition in the United States. Patients with chronic constipation often experience hard stools, straining during bowel movements and not enough bowel movements during the week. People with chronic constipation can experience serious discomfort which interferes with their ability to work and their quality of life. Up to 26 million Americans suffer from the condition and, of these, about five million are classified as "severe". Data from the National Disease and Therapeutic Index shows a relatively stable value of 2.5 million annual physician visits for constipation and more recent data that includes emergency room encounters estimates the number of physician visits for constipation-related complaints at 5.7 million in 2001. Using the conservative estimates of "prevalence, healthcare seeking, and costs," the annual direct costs attributable to chronic constipation in North America are in the billions of dollars.