Free Webinars Explore the Melding of Medicine, Health IT

In an effort to give physicians the tools they need to transition to the use of health information technology, or health IT, in their practices, TransforMED, in partnership with the AMA, is launching a series of free weekly webinars.

The initiative "Health IT to Support the Doctor-Patient Relationship" begins on Jan. 14 at noon CST and continues each Thursday through Feb. 4. The program is advertised as a "learning lunch" series, but for physicians who are unable to view the webinars in real time, the two hosts are making the sessions available as archives through TransforMED's Web site.

Each session lasts one hour and is formatted for 45 minutes of presentation time from experts specially selected for the session. Each session's presentation is followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer period.

In chronological order, the webinar sessions will cover

TransforMED President and CEO Terry McGeeney, M.D., M.B.A., encourages physicians to register online, read about the presenters and become familiar with the learning objectives for each week's presentation.

McGeeney says the webinars are an opportunity for physicians to glean valuable information from experts without having to leave their offices. "The sessions will introduce practice leaders to the tools necessary to successfully embrace health IT and will help practices meet 'meaningful use' criteria for electronic health records, (or EHRs)" as set forth by the federal government, says McGeeney.

"In the wake of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, more practices are considering implementing EHRs, utilizing electronic prescribing and exploring other forms of health IT," says McGeeney. "This webinar series will help articulate a vision of how health IT is transforming the practice of medicine, facilitating patient-centered care and improving health outcomes."

TransforMED is a wholly owned subsidiary of the AAFP. Its foremost mission is to help primary care physicians make practice changes that will help them transition to patient-centered medical homes, and McGeeney says use of health IT within a practice is a necessary part of that process.