CMS Launches Online Learning Resource

Family physicians in small- to medium-sized practices may want to take advantage of a free, Web-based educational venue recently launched by CMS and dubbed DOQ-IT, or Doctor's Office Quality Information Technology, University.

"CMS is pleased to launch DOQ-IT University, the first of its kind e-learning platform, to provide assistance to physicians across the United States in the adoption and implementation of electronic health records and care management practices," said CMS Acting Administrator Leslie Norwalk, J.D., in an April 11 press release. "DOQ-IT U's interactive platform, self-paced curriculum and associated tools provide physicians with easy access to the resources they need to help ensure that patients receive the highest quality of care at all times."

To get started, users simply go to the DOQ-IT University section of CMS' QualityNet e-Learning Center, establish a login ID and a password, and begin exploring the site's educational and other offerings. Choose "Course Information & Enrollment" after selecting "Learning Center" from the options offered in the left-hand column to see learning modules currently available.

Those modules address topics important to family physicians as they redesign their practices to integrate electronic health records. The topics include

Disease-specific learning modules -- beginning with a module on diabetes -- soon will be added to the site. Each of these modules will incorporate a patient self-management component, which is critical to successfully managing patients with chronic disease.

Bruce Bagley, M.D., AAFP's medical director of quality improvement, serves on the DOQ-IT University technical advisory panel. Other organizations participating in an advisory capacity include the American College of Physicians, the American Board of Internal Medicine, and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.