Recent Advances in the Management of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): What Managed Care Needs to Know in an Evolving Treatment Paradigm

A continuing medical education activity provided by NAMCP and AAMCN

This activity is an archive from the webinar held November 6, 2020

This activity is valid from February 1, 2020 to March 1, 2022

 

Instructions for CME/NCPD: Complete the pre-test, listen to the audio and view the slides, complete the post test, complete the evaluation form and hit submit. You will be asked to enter your name and email address on the pre-test, evaluation and post-test. If you close your internet browser without completing the post test, you will have ONE more opportunity to complete. A score of 70% must be achieved on the post test to receive continuing education credits. If you do not pass the post test after two attempts, you will not be eligible to try again. Once you complete the evaluation form and score 70% or higher on your post test, you will automatically be given your certificate.

To print or save your certificate, you will need to click on the “download” button and either print or save.
 

Audience: This activity is intended for healthcare professionals practicing in managed care environments.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

Description:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. An estimated 20,000 people in the United States are living with ALS. It is a progressive disease in which the motor neurons eventually die. Mortality is usually the result of respiratory failure. Although most patients with ALS die within 3 to 5 years after symptoms first appear, about 20% of patients with ALS will live 5 years, 10% will live 10 years, and about 5% will live 20 years or more. Currently, there is no cure for ALS. Fortunately for patients with ALS, the treatment paradigm has expanded in recent years, giving medical directors and clinicians many more options in managing symptoms and delaying progression in the ALS patient population. With new options expanding the treatment armamentarium in ALS, a knowledge gap has been created, making it imperative that managed care physician medical directors, practicing physicians, pharmacists, payers, nurses and other healthcare professionals who manage ALS patient populations have a solid understanding of differing options to optimize both costs and patient outcomes in their therapeutic application.

As there is no current cure for ALS, management focuses on treating symptoms and providing supportive care, with the goal of improving quality of life and prolonging survival in patients. This care is best provided by multidisciplinary teams of healthcare professionals; attending a multidisciplinary ALS clinic is associated with longer survival, fewer hospitalizations, and improved quality of life as they have access to the most recent treatments and management tools. New agents have recently become available that have shown the ability to slow functional decline in ALS, giving providers and payers even more options to manage these populations and improve quality of life. It is for this reason that managed care physician medical directors, practicing physicians, pharmacists, payers, nurses and other healthcare professionals are brought up to date on all of the available and emerging therapy options, the economic and quality of life burden that ALS presents, and strategies for improving patient outcomes.

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Characterize the etiology and pathophysiology of ALS and describe the process of making the ALS diagnosis

• Assess the impact, direct and indirect costs, and unmet needs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the value of early diagnosis

• Explain the disease progression of ALS and the benefit of early recognition

• Examine the safety and efficacy of disease-modifying and symptomatic pharmacotherapies for patients with ALS

• Employ resource utilization management strategies that support patient needs and are cost-effective

• Identify methods to navigate access to appropriate ALS therapies and discuss managed care considerations around those therapies
  
   

Accreditation & Designation
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the National Association of Managed Care Physicians (NAMCP) and American Association of Managed Care Nurses (AAMCN). The National Association of Managed Care Physicians is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

NAMCP designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 credit(s)^TM. Each
physician should claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The American Association of Managed Care Nurses is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Nurses who complete this activity and achieve a passing score will receive 1 hour in nursing continuing professional development.

This activity has been approved by the American Board of Managed Care Nursing for 1.0 contact hours toward CMCN recertification requirements.

This activity is supported by an educational grant from
Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

NAMCP and/or this website does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. NAMCP does not endorse or imply endorsement of the content on any linked website. This website is to be used as an informational resource. With any health related concern, consult with your physician or healthcare professional.

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