The Role of Open Source Web

Technologies in CME: A case study

Presented by:

Jeremy C. Lundberg, DLC Solutions

Logan Thomison, OptumHealth Education

Objectives• Create a modular and standards compliant

publishing environment for proprietary and partner content

• Replicate the social and collaborative aspects of live educational activities

• Reduce the amount of paper, effort, potential errors, and systems associated with participant data gathering

• Enhance the effectiveness of educational coordinators at 1400 satellite locations

• Improve the development of Needs Assessment and Educational Outcomes

Decision Process• Defined requirements

• Evaluated commercial options– Traditional course management systems with

emerging social features– Per seat licensing model and annual fees

exceeded budget

• Evaluated Open Source options– Sakai– Moodle

• Determined that additional system was needed to meet requirements

Drupal• A free, open source content management

system (CMS) with modular framework and extensive Web 2.0 capabilities.

• From May 2007 to April 2008, Drupal was downloaded over 1.4 million times.

• Features– Core Modules

Content Management System Blogs and Wikis Forums Peer-to-peer social networking Podcasting

– Over 2000 Contributed modules Organic Groups Views Content Construction Kit (CCK)

Moodle• Free, open source learning management

system:60,000 registered sites with 31 million users in 2.8 million courses in 208 countries (Moodle.org 2009).

• Features– Core Modules

Customizable registration Activities Resources Collaborative tools Quizzes Reporting

– Over 500 Contributed Modules•E-Commerce•Application Programming Interface (APIs)

The Outcome• Full-featured, highly customizable e-learning

environment.

• CMS + LMS + Web 2.0 features

• Streamlined CME administration & delivery workflow.

• Relatively low cost deployment and maintenance.

• Consolidation or retirement of multiple legacy system.

• Scalable to organizational growth and regulatory changes.

• The Elegance of Drupal Meets the Power of Moodle

Features•Integrated content & course management tools.

•Single sign-on integration across Drupal & Moodle

•Standardized CME workflow.

•Centralized registration and certificate storage for live & enduring events.

•Peer-to-peer networking by clinical interests and location.

•Access to news and non-accredited disease information.

Benefits to OHE• Enhanced Needs Assessment process with

polling and online communities of practice.

• Increased reach through social network capabilities

• Enhanced Educational Outcomes Process– Extend the online submission of assessments,

evaluations, and application for credit.– Regularly schedule follow-up assessments as part

of the normal activity workflow.– Increased uniformity of participant & outcomes

data due to the reduction or elimination of paper based submissions.

– Streamlined outcomes analysis.

Benefits to Participants• Provide a platform for ongoing professional

development via curriculum based learning with feedback

• Centralized storage of CME history including OHE activities and others

• Ability to discuss topics with thought leaders and colleagues in disease state forums

• Access to non certified educational resources and breaking news within a particular disease state

Claims Data for Educational Design

• Cross-reference incidence and mortality data to identify states/regions with poorest patient outcomes

• Prioritize regions with poorest patients outcomes and largest patient populations

• Design activities to address the specific needs in these “priority” regions

• Measure outcomes in regions where education was implemented

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

Minnesota

North Carolina

California

Georgia

Missouri

Illinois

New York

Ohio

Texas

Florida

Number of Patients0 2000 4000 6000 8000

Puerto Rico

Alaska

Haw aii and Pacif ic

Northw est

Rocky Mountain

Southw est

North Central

East Central

South Central

Northeast

Great Lakes

Southeast

Number of Patients

Future Enhancements

• Expansion of online enduring materials.

• Adopt MedBiquitous standards.

• Bibliography Module to manage and display lists of scholarly publications.

• Enhance social network and content personalization capabilities.

• Integration of social media tools (e.g., Twitter, LinkedIn, Moodle Community Hub).

Thank You