The National Institute for Quality Improvement and Education’s second annual conference, scheduled for September 9–11 at the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare in Rosemont, Ill., is offering a jam-packed lineup of experts to help those interested in understanding CME’s place in continuous performance improvement.

According to Nancy Davis, PhD, NIQIE’s executive director, while the concept of continuous performance improvement has gained traction over the past several years, many CME providers are still at sea trying to incorporate it into their CME programs. Quality-improvement professionals also may not completely understand how CME can help them accomplish their goals. The conference is specifically designed to fill those knowledge gaps, help break down some of the silos that exist between CME and QI, and bring performance improvement into the mainstream of healthcare practice.

The program kicks off with an interactive pre-conference workshop on September 9 designed to provide a basic understanding of the concepts, process, tools, and practical applications involved in healthcare quality improvement, led by Terri Warholak, RPh, PhD, professor, University of Arizona School of Pharmacy; and Donald Fetterolf, MD, MBA, president, American College of Medical Quality. The main conference takes off from there, with goals of teaching CME and quality-improvement professionals how to work with national healthcare reform leaders, implement performance-based CME, design assessment and ongoing improvement processes, and integrate performance measurement and improvement into healthcare practitioners practices.

Among the faculty lending their expertise will be Bruce Bagley, MD, director, medical quality, American Academy of Family Physicians; Barbara Barnes, MD, chairwoman, board of directors, Accreditation Council for CME; Atul Grover, MD, PhD, chief advocacy officer, Association of American Medical Colleges; and Richard Howkins, MD, senior vice president, professional and scientific affairs, American Board of Medical Specialties.

For all the details, visit niqie.org.