Breathe Better: Improving Access and Advancing COPD Care in Rural and Underserved Communities
Released On
August 29, 2025
Expires On
August 29, 2026
Media Type
Internet
Completion Time
60 minutes
Specialty
Acute Care, Critical Care, Hospitalist, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Pharmacy, Primary Care, Pulmonology
Topic(s)
Pharmacology, Respiratory
Acknowledgement
This activity is provided by Talem Health and RME Collaborative.
This online program is recorded content from the live session at Rural Health Clinical Congress Spring 2025 and is co-supported by independent medical education grants from AbbVie Inc.; Janssen Biotech, Inc., administered by Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC; Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi; and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi.
Credit Available
- Physicians — maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- Nurses — 1.0 Contact Hour (0.5 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit)
- Pharmacists — 1.0 Contact Hour (0.1 CEU)
All other healthcare professionals completing this course will be issued a statement of participation.
Target Audience
This activity is designed specifically for primary care physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and pharmacists who care for patients from rural and underserved communities.
Program Overview
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) disproportionately impacts people living in rural areas, where the prevalence is almost double that of urban areas. COPD-associated hospitalizations and deaths are also higher in rural communities, and lack of access to and availability of transportation services, specialty care, and treatment options such as pulmonary rehabilitation contribute to these disparities in COPD care and outcomes. In this on-demand CME/CE activity, expert faculty will review best practices for assessing, identifying, and monitoring symptoms and future risk of exacerbations in patients with COPD. They will also highlight current and emerging biologic therapies and strategies to enhance COPD care and management in rural and underserved settings, such as telehealth-based solutions and patient self-management.
This enduring activity is a recorded session from Rural Health Clinical Congress Spring 2025 that took place on May 17, 2025.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:
- Employ evidence-based strategies and best practices to assess, identify, and monitor symptoms and the risk of future exacerbations in patients with COPD
- Evaluate the safety and efficacy of current and emerging biologic therapies for the management of COPD
- Develop personalized treatment plans for patients with COPD based on the latest clinical evidence and guideline recommendations to reduce exacerbations and improve lung function
- Implement strategies to improve COPD outcomes in rural and underserved settings, including patient education on smoking cessation, self-management tools, pulmonary rehabilitation, and telehealth interventions
Faculty
Nicola A. Hanania, MD, MS
Professor of Medicine - Pulmonary
Director, Airways Clinical Research Center
Baylor College of Medicine
Chief of Pulmonary/Critical Care/Sleep Medicine
Ben Taub Hospital
Houston, TX
Cody A. Chastain, MD, MEHP
Associate Professor of Medicine
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN
Joint Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, Talem Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit Designation
Physician Continuing Medical Education
Talem Health designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Continuing Nursing Education
The maximum number of hours awarded for this Continuing Nursing Education activity is 1.0 contact hour. Designated for 0.5 contact hour of pharmacotherapy credit for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.
Continuing Pharmacy Education
Talem Health designates this continuing education activity for 1.0 contact hour (0.1 CEU) of the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education.
(Universal Activity Number – JA4008332-0000-25-059-H01-P)
Type of Activity: Application
Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Talem Health adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others, are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All identified conflicts of interest are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to Talem Health policy. Talem Health is committed to providing its learners with high quality accredited continuing education activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of an ineligible company.
All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated.
The faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CE activity:
Faculty
Nicola A. Hanania, MD, MS, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships: consultant/advisory board member for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Chiesi USA, Inc., Genentech, Inc., GSK, Sanofi, and Verona Pharma; speakers’ bureau member for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi; grant/research support from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Chiesi USA, Inc., Genentech, Inc., GSK, and Sanofi.
Cody A. Chastain, MD, MEHP, has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Planners, Managers, and Reviewer
The Talem Health planners, managers, and reviewer have nothing to disclose.
Instructions for Participation and Credit
This activity is offered at no cost to participants. To receive CME credit, participants must:
- Read the CME/CE information, including learning objectives and disclosure statements.
- Complete the pre-test.
- View the online activity.
- Complete the post-test and evaluation form.
A post-test score of 75% or higher is required to obtain credit. Your certificate will be made available for immediate download.
Course Viewing Requirements
Supported Browsers:
Desktop/laptop: Newest and last prior version of Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge
Mobile devices: Newest and last prior version of Safari and Google Chrome
Supported Phones & Tablets:
All devices
Disclosure of Unlabeled Use
This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications. The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.
Disclaimer
Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.
©RME Collaborative, a division of Talem Health, LLC. All Rights Reserved. These materials may be used for personal use only. Any rebroadcast, distribution, or reuse of this presentation or any part of it in any form for other than personal use without the express written permission of Talem Health, LLC is prohibited.
Media
Internet activity
Fee Information
There is no fee for this educational activity.
Contact Information
For questions about this activity, please contact RME Collaborative (a division of Talem Health) at 800-913-9370 or [email protected].