Program Overview

Because alcohol potentiates the fibrosis- and cancer-inducing actions of the hepatitis virus, people with heavy alcohol intake are particularly vulnerable to hepatitis infection and are most in need of treatment. In this activity, we will discuss advances in acute and long-term management of alcoholic hepatitis and liver function. Specifically, we will aim to review guideline-based screening and diagnostic considerations for alcoholic hepatitis; assess standards of care for management of acute alcoholic hepatitis, including lifestyle-, pharmacologic-, and device-related methods; and evaluate investigational methods of treatment with respect to efficacy, safety, and long-term management.

Target Audience

This activity is intended for general internists, hospitalists, and subspecialists in internal medicine; as well as physician assistants and other providers with an interest in the treatment of alcoholic hepatitis.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of the educational activity, participants should be able to:

• Discuss screening and diagnostic considerations for alcoholic hepatitis, specifically focusing on guideline-based recommendations.
• Describe current standards of care for management of acute alcoholic hepatitis, including lifestyle, pharmacologic, and device-related methods.
• Review investigational methods of treatment for alcoholic hepatitis with regard to efficacy, safety, and their potential role in long-term management.

Accreditation

CME Credit provided by AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare

Physicians
AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
AKH Inc., Advancing Knowledge in Healthcare designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants
NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.5 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Criteria for Success
Statements of credit will be awarded based on the participant reviewing the entire presentation, scoring a 70% on the post test, and completing and submitting an activity evaluation. A statement of credit will be available upon completion of an online evaluation/claimed credit form. You must participate in the entire activity to receive credit. There is no fee to participate in this activity. If you have questions about this CE activity, please contact AKH Inc. at tbrignoni@akhcme.com.

About our Faculty

Ram Mohan Subramanian, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. He is Medical Director of Liver Transplantation at the Emory Liver Transplant Center, which is currently among the top five liver transplant centers in the US with respect to transplant volume and quality. His fellowship training involved combined training in Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine and Gastroenterology & Transplant Hepatology, with a goal to focus his clinical and research interests in the field of hepatic critical care. Over the course of his academic career to date, he has become a national and international expert and though-leader in liver intensive care. Furthermore, he has developed specific clinical and research expertise in extracorporeal liver support. He has published extensively in this field of hepatic critical care, and has presented at multiple national and international meetings. Since the topic of liver failure and liver intensive care is pertinent to multiple medical specialties, he has addressed audiences in different domains of medicine, including critical care, hepatology, anesthesia, transplant surgery, hospital medicine and emergency medicine.

Dr. Subramanian has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Consultant: Vital Therapies, Inc.

Julie Thompson, MD, MPH, is a board-certified transplant hepatologist practicing at the University of Minnesota, where she serves as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition. At the University of Minnesota, Dr. Thompson is also medical director of liver transplantation. She attended medical school and received a fellowship in gastroenterology and advanced hepatology at the University of Minnesota, with residency at the Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Dr. Thompson became a faculty member in 2009, with responsibilities including endoscopic services, in-patient consults, out-patient clinics, and education of medical students. She was rated a “Best Doctor” in Minnesota Monthly in 2014. Her primary research interest includes liver transplant medicine, and she has served as co-investigator on several published clinical studies in this area.

Dr. Thompson has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Consultant: Vital Therapies, Inc.

AKH STAFF/REVIEWERS

Christopher J. Drury, MA, MA, Medical Writer/Interviewer: has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Lead Nurse Planner/Reviewer: has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Patricia Brignoni, AKH Project Manager/Reviewer: has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Steve Eckert, AKH President & CEO, Planner/Reviewer: has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Commercial Support

This activity is supported by an educational grant Vital Therapies, Inc.

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use and Investigational Product
This educational activity will include discussion of uses of agents that are investigational and/or unapproved by the FDA. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Disclosure Declaration
It is the policy of AKH Inc. to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, scientific rigor, and integrity in all of its continuing education activities. The faculty must disclose to the participants any significant relationships with commercial interests whose products or devices may be mentioned in the activity or with the commercial supporter of this continuing education activity. Identified conflicts of interest are resolved by AKH prior to accreditation of the activity and may include any of or combination of the following: attestation to non-commercial content; notification of independent and certified CME expectations; referral to National Faculty Initiative training; restriction of topic area or content; restriction to discussion of science only; amendment of content to eliminate discussion of device or technique; use of other faculty for discussion of recommendations; independent review against criteria ensuring evidence support recommendation; moderator review; and peer review. AKH Inc. planners and reviewers have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Disclaimer
This course is designed solely to provide the healthcare professional with information to assist in his/her practice and professional development and is not to be considered a diagnostic tool to replace professional advice or treatment. The course serves as a general guide to the healthcare professional, and therefore, cannot be considered as giving legal, nursing, medical, or other professional advice in specific cases. AKH Inc. specifically disclaims responsibility for any adverse consequences resulting directly or indirectly from information in the course, for undetected error, or through participant's misunderstanding of the content.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

REQUIRED HARDWARE / SOFTWARE: 

• A computer with an internet connection
• Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 7.x or higher, Firefox 4.x or higher, Safari 2.x or higher, or any other W3C standards compliant browser
• Other additional software may be required such as PowerPoint or Adobe Acrobat Reader.

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