Competencies Curriculum for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine

The Post-Acute and Long-Term Medical Assocation has defined competencies for the practice of post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) medicine so clinicians who practice in this setting can effectively provide their patients with quality care. The Competencies Curriculum course was developed to support the competencies for PALTC and disseminate the education needed to practice in PALTC setting.

The practice of PALTC medicine requires knowledge and skills drawn from various specialties including internal, family, hospital, and rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, psychiatry, and palliative care. While necessary for effective practice, none of these discipline-specific competencies are alone sufficient to describe the full range of PALTC competencies. Rather, they must reflect a mix of many of the skills unique to each of these disciplines which must then be operationalized within a unique care setting with its unique regulatory requirements while incorporating the full skill set of the entire interdisciplinary team.

The Competencies Curriculum has been divided into five domains. Within each domain are sections, each of which includes interactive presentations with cases. Upon successful completion, learners can receive CME, MOC, and CMD credits. 

Curriculum Domains:
Domain 1: Foundation (Ethics, Communication, and Professionalism)
Domain 2: Medical Care Delivery Process
Domain 3: Systems
Domain 4: Medical Knowledge
Domain 5: Personal Professional Development in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care

Course Syllabus

  • 12.5 CME 
  • 3.25 CMD Management
  • 9.25 CMD Clinical
  • 12.5 ABIM MOC

Release Date: 01/01/2023   |   Expiration: 01/01/2026

 Credit Statements:

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 12.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABIM MOC: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 12.5 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety credit in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for a total of 3.25 management hours and 9.25 clinical hours toward certification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. The CMD Program is administered by the ABPLM. Each physician should claim only those credit hours that he/she actually spent in the activity. For further information, contact ABPLM at 410-992-3117 or at cmd@paltmed.org.

Financial Disclosure Statement:

No one in control of content disclosed any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Paul Katz, MD, CMD

Paul Katz, MD, CMD, is Professor in the Department of Geriatrics at Florida State University College of Medicine.  Before coming to the FSU College of Medicine in May 2015, he was Vice President of Medical Services at the Baycrest Health Centre and Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He previously served as Chief of the Division of Geriatrics/Aging at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and for 16 years was medical director at Monroe Community Hospital. Dr. Katz is past president of  Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association. He has co-edited 12 books, has over 150 scholarly publications and is currently a senior associate editor of JAMDA. Dr. Katz has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Veterans Administration, the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. He has led studies outlining demographic characteristics of nursing home physicians and their practice patterns, using the results to define links between nursing home medical staff organization and quality outcomes. He is co-PI of a $3.75 million federally funded grant that focuses on the training of the geriatric workforce and family caregivers. Dr. Katz is an active member of the Senior Quality Leap Initiative (SQLI), a consortium of 15 Canadian and US senior care organizations dedicated to quality improvement in nursing homes.  He is currently part of an international team of investigators working to develop medical provider specific quality measures germane to post-acute and long-term care.

Steven Levenson MD, CMD

Steven Levenson, MD, CMD, was a medical director and physician in PALTC for 43 years. Dr. Levenson passed away on January 24, 2024, at his home in Maryland. He is widely recognized for his pioneering work in medical direction and efforts to improve long-term care and expand its body of knowledge. He has authored or co-authored more than 80 articles and four books, including Medical Direction in Long-term Care and the Subacute and Transitional Care Handbook. Over the past 30 years, he was involved extensively in activities to improve the implementation of the OBRA ‘87 regulations and guidance. Dr. Levenson is a Past President of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association, 2006-2007, and has contributed substantially to numerous PALTmed projects, programs, and publications for the past 35 years. 

Heidi White, MD, MEd, CMD

Heidi White, MD, MHS, MEd, CMD, is Professor of Medicine with tenure at Duke University School of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics and a senior fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. She has more than 20 years of experience serving as a medical director at Croasdaile Village Retirement Community. Dr. White has served as secretary/treasurer, vice president, president, and past president of the North Carolina Medical Director Association and remains active in the chapter. She is the Past President of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association and has served on numerous committees. She has co‐directed the PALTmed Foundation Futures Program and is a current board member of the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.

Asif Merchant, MD, CMD, CPE, FACP

Asif Merchant, MD, CMD, CPE, FACP, is the Chief of Geriatrics and Extended Care Network at Newton Wellesley Hospital. Dr. Merchant is also a Partner at New England Community Medical Services, a specialized medical provider group focusing on post-acute care services. His role as a Medical Director of several nursing homes and a hospice in the Boston area underlines his dedication to providing quality healthcare services to the elderly population. Dr. Merchant completed his Internal Medicine residency and Geriatric Medicine fellowship at North Shore University and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New York. Dr. Merchant pursued a fellowship in Medical Education from Harvard School of Medicine, showcasing his commitment to advancing medical knowledge and education.

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