New Quality Improvement Program Provides Enhanced Education in the Care of Patients with Disabilities
ABMS is a nationally recognized not-for-profit organization serving the public and the medical profession by improving healthcare quality and establishing professional standards. The ABMS Portfolio Program recognizes physicians and physician assistants (PAs) for engaging in meaningful QI activities as part of their continuing certification.
Members of ABMS will now be able to participate in IntellectAbility’s new QI program, Improving Care for Patients with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). This program will employ IntellectAbility’s Curriculum in IDD Healthcare eLearn course, which consists of six modules that provide learners with pertinent, practical information that can be used immediately in their practices to improve outcomes, reduce suffering, and prevent unnecessary death in their patients with IDD.
Biases and gaps in healthcare education result in statistically higher mortality rates for disabled patients who suffer from treatable comorbidities, including aspiration, bowel obstruction, dehydration, seizures, and infection/sepsis. Education plays a vital role in improving proper diagnosis and appropriate healthcare plans, thus ensuring better care and overall health.
Established through the generous support of Elevance Health, the QI program is designed to raise awareness and build competencies among healthcare providers by offering person-centered, clinically relevant education that supports better care for people with IDD. Completing this program contributes to the ABMS Portfolio Program’s requirement that physicians and PAs earn Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credits.
“It’s well documented that most healthcare providers are not adequately trained to meet the unique healthcare needs of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” states Dr. Craig Escudé, President of IntellectAbility and IDD physician expert. “The Curriculum in IDD Healthcare is a proven eLearning program that enhances clinicians’ confidence and clinical skills in caring for this population. Now, the course offers even greater value by helping clinicians meet Maintenance of Certification requirements for most medical specialty boards. With a single course, clinicians can fulfill MOC obligations, earn continuing medical education (CME) credits, and strengthen their ability to deliver high-quality care to people with IDD.”
“IntellectAbility’s partnership with Elevance Health to improve health outcomes and quality of life for people with IDD is a groundbreaking collaboration that brings together clinical expertise, data-driven insights, and person-centered tools to support the often-complex healthcare needs of people/patients with IDD,” says Dr. Escudé. “We are deeply grateful for Elevance Health’s support in helping bring this program to life, ensuring more clinicians are equipped to meet the unique needs of patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
As the newest ABMS Portfolio Program Sponsor, IntellectAbility joins a national community of esteemed medical professionals and health organizations dedicated to improving the quality of care. This includes leading hospitals, academic medical centers, medical associations, specialty societies, and government agencies.
Medical professionals interested in learning more about this program may visit IntellectAbility’s website to enroll.
