Original release date: July 16, 2019 
Access to this course expires on:  March 19, 2022, 11:59 PM Pacific Time
CME 2.5

Course Description
Pathologists have long been deeply invested in the quality of the care we provide. However, the increasing burden of clinical care, daily operations, and regulatory compliance have challenged the maintenance of a safe and high quality care environment. In parallel to increasing clinical demands, the health care community has become sharply focused on patient safety, with many major organizations calling on the laboratory to adapt to a culture of reliability, accountability, and transparency. Despite these shifts in the healthcare landscape, little to no specific tools exist to guide anatomic pathologists on exactly how to investigate medical errors and carry out quality improvement initiatives. The course is heavily case-based and interactive, utilizing a set of validated tools from the quality and safety literature and practical pathology-specific applications to facilitate learning.

Target Audience

Practicing academic and community pathologists, and pathologists-in-training

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational activity, the learner will be able to:

• Understand the scope and breadth of quality and patient safety in anatomic pathology
• Utilize published quality principles to reduce risk of diagnostic error in surgical pathology
• Evaluate adverse events and near misses thoroughly and honestly using root cause analysis and the M&M model
• Effectively analyze and target root causes that may have contributed to failure using validated process improvement tools
• Optimize and standardize the pathology report as a communication tool to reduce errors and improve care
• Understand the role of process mapping and workflow redesign in successful quality improvement initiatives
• Describe the necessary elements of disclosure and the adverse event management process
• Comfortably discuss and resolve common challenging scenarios in quality and patient safety for pathologists

Continuing Medical Education

The United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology designates this live activity for a maximum of 2.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Beginning in 2021, the American Board of Pathology (ABPath) will no longer require Self-Assessment Modules (SAMs) for Part II Lifelong Learning of the Continuing Certification program. For additional information, visit the ABPath website.

Disclosures

The faculty, committee members, and staff who are in position to control the content of this activity are required to disclose to USCAP and to learners any relevant financial relationship(s) of the individual or spouse/partner that have occurred within the last 12 months with any commercial interest(s) whose products or services are related to the CME content. USCAP has reviewed all disclosures and resolved or managed all identified conflicts of interest, as applicable.

The following faculty reported no relevant financial relationships: Yael Heher, MD, MPH, FRCPC; Raouf Nakhleh, MD

USCAP staff associated with the development of content for this activity reported no relevant financial relationships.

To earn CME credit, all learners must complete the evaluation. Your certificate will be available to view and print by clicking here. 

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