Core Synthesis | June 6-7, 2025

Core Synthesis | June 6-7, 2025

Includes Multiple Live Events. The next is on 06/06/2025 at 10:00 AM (EDT)

June 6-7, 2025 | Virtual Program

The Core Synthesis is part two of the two-part Core Curriculum on Medical Direction in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC). This live interactive course is comprised of dynamic lectures, spirited role plays, case-based discussions, and small group breakouts. After completing the Synthesis course, participants will be able to integrate the tools, knowledge, and skills learned into their practice as a PALTC medical director.  Emphasis is placed on implementing the use of QAPI tools, problem-solving concepts, and root cause analysis in monitoring and managing quality indicators and quality management data and incorporating systems theory, systems management, and leadership skills into the daily work of the PALTC medical director.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, learners will be able to:

  • Develop practical skills needed to fulfill the role and responsibilities of the medical director.
  • Identify the unique aspects of the PALTC environment that impact the medical director’s job.
  • Describe the organizational responsibilities and dynamics of the medical director and the interdisciplinary team (IDT).
  • Develop communication skills to deal with responsibilities for the IDT, residents, and their families.
  • Explain the resident care responsibilities of the medical director, including emergency care, quality management, family systems, and ethical considerations.
  • Enhance leadership skills and team building towards a stronger role for the medical director with the IDT.
  • Develop human resource skills to deal with difficult situations and improve personal effectiveness.
  • Improve the medical director’s ability to learn and practice in the evolving environment of health care delivery.
  • Apply newly acquired knowledge to daily facility and practice activities.

All Times are Eastern Time Zone.

Date/Time Session Virtual Location 
Friday, June 6  
10:00 - 10:15am Course Introduction General Session 
10:15 - 10:45am Today’s Medical Director: Challenges and Opportunities General Session 
10:45 - 11:15am Quality: The Big Picture General Session 
11:15 - 12:30pm Breakout A | Introduction to QAPI Small Group Breakouts
12:30 - 12:45pm Break  
12:45 - 1:45pm Breakout B | QAPI Took Box Small Group Breakouts
1:50 - 2:35pm In-the-Trenches Panel Discussion: Early Session General Session 
2:35 - 3:15pm Meal Break  
3:15 - 3:45pm Team Dynamics and Communication General Session 
3:45 - 4:45pm Breakout C | Health Care Ethics, Resident Rights, Risk Management Small Group Breakouts
4:45 - 5:00pm Break  
5:00 - 6:00pm Breakout D | NOT Just Another Ordinary Day at the SNF: Survey, F841/MSO Small Group Breakouts
6:05 - 6:50pm In-the-Trenches Panel Discussion: Late Session General Session 
Saturday, June 7  
10:00 - 10:30am Protecting Rights, Preventing Deficiencies: The Role of the Medical Director General Session 
10:30 - 11:00am System Theory: Application in Medical Direction General Session 
11:00 - 12:00pm Breakout E | Medical Leadership and Medical Staff Oversight Small Group Breakouts
12:00 - 12:15am Break  
12:15 - 1:00pm In-the-Trenches Panel Discussion General Session 
1:00 - 1:30pm Herding Cats: Medical Staff Coordination General Session 
1:30 - 2:00pm Leadership: A Tool for Effective Medical Directors General Session 
2:00 - 2:15pm Course Wrap-Up/Closing Remarks General Session 
2:15pm Adjourn  

*Program is subject to change.

Luz Ramos-Bonner, MD, MBA, CMD

Faculty Chair, Core Curriculum on Medical Direction

Luz Ramos-Bonner, MD, MBA, CMD, is part of Independence Family of Companies as a network medical director for Independence Blue Cross. In this role, Dr. Ramos is responsible for collaborating with primary care providers to drive improved performance in the Pennsylvania market, including primary care population health and value-based programs with health systems. As part of the clinical care transformation leadership, her cross-functional role includes initiatives that promote whole-person equitable health and advancing the quintiple aim. Dr. Ramos is a geriatrician and finished her Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare at the George Washington University.

Cynthia Kuttner, MD, CMD

Cynthia Kuttner, MD, CMD, is the medical director of the Community Living Center at the Wilmington VA Medical Center in Wilmington, Delaware. She is also an adjunct assistant professor of Geriatrics and Gerontology at the Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine. She is a graduate of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and completed a primary care Internal Medicine residency at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, New York. She is fellowship-trained in Geriatrics at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to joining the Veterans Administration, she served as the medical director at several community nursing homes in Ohio.

Dheeraj Mahajan, MD, CMD

Dheeraj Mahajan, MD, CMD, is president and CEO of Chicago Internal Medicine Practice and Research and its associated group of companies and clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and board-certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Mahajan is a certified medical director, a certified physician advisor in utilization review and healthcare quality management, and is certified in infection control and epidemiology.

Jean Storm, DO, CMD

Jean Storm, DO, CMD, is a graduate of the Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine and is Board Certified in internal medicine. She has served as medical director of five long-term care facilities in Erie, PA, and throughout WV. She has also served as the program director for the internal medicine residency program at LECOM Health. She is currently a clinical support physician for Optum/United Healthcare and medical director for a quality improvement organization focused on improving care in long-term care facilities throughout PA and WV. Dr. Storm's interest is in developing policies and strategies that change the way providers view the care delivery process in LTC.

Meenakshi Patel, MD, MMM, CMD

Meenakshi Patel, MD, MMM, CMD, is a clinical associate professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and Ohio Heritage University of Osteopathic Medicine in Athens, OH. She is also a practicing physician at Valley Medical Primary Care, a principal investigator at Valley Medical Research, and a medical director at several nursing homes. She teaches internal medicine and geriatrics to medical students, internal medicine and family medicine residents, and geriatric fellows. She has been very active with AMDA-The Society in several roles, including as a board member, member of multiple committees, and writing clinical practice guidelines on the management of diabetes in the long-term care setting. Dr. Patel has served as president of the Ohio Medical Directors Association.

John Heath MD, CMD

John Heath MD, CMD, completed his geriatric medicine fellowship at the University of Cincinnati in 1988 and has since been medical director for various PALTC facilities, including experience as a multi-facility corporate medical director. Currently medical director at the Hunterdon Care Center in Flemington, NJ, Dr. Heath joined the Hackensack Meridian Health System in 2021. Previously, Dr. Heath was a professor and geriatric medicine fellowship director at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and then established the Geriatric Services department for the Summit Medical Group. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Geriatric Society, and a past board member of the New Jersey Geriatric Society. 

Matthew Wayne, MD, CMD

Chief Medical Officer

Communicare

Matt Wayne, MD, CMD, is the former AMDA President and a long-standing member of the society. He has led traditional Accountable Care Organizations and is now the Chief Medical Officer of Communicare who is overseeing clinical operations for their iSNP, cSNP, practice group and now their new ACO REACH program.

  • 11.5 CME
  • 11.5 CMD Management
  • 11.5 MOC
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 live activity for a maximum of 11.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved for up to 11.5 management hour(s) toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity. The CMD Program is administered by PALTmed. For further information, contact PALTmed at 410-992-3115 or at certification@paltmed.org.

ABIM MOC: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 11.5 Medical Knowledge MOC points and patient safety MOC 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.

Financial Disclosure Statement

The following faculty and/or planners disclosed a relevant financial relationship: 

  • Luz Ramos-Bonner, MD, MBA, CMD - Stock Shareholder: InnovAge; Fulltime/Parttime Employee: Independence Blue Cross
  • Meenakshi Patel, MD, CMD – Speakers Bureau: Janssen, Teva and Otsuka/Lundbeck; Grant Research Support: Janssen, Eli Lilly, GSK, LMT, Acadia
  • Todd Sobol, MD, CMD – Advisory Board: CareBand Inc.
  • Richard Stefanacci, DO, MBA, CMD - Consultant: Active Protective (TangoBelt)

All relevant relationships have been mitigated by the Association. No one else 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.

Course Pricing

 Early Bird Rate
Deadline March 20, 2025		 Regular Rate
March 21 - May 15, 2025		 Late Rate
May 16 - June 6, 2025
Member $795 $895 $995
Non-Member $1,095 $1,195 $1,295
Become an PALTmed member and save!


Registration Cancellation

Cancellations must be submitted via email to registration@paltmed.org. Cancellations must be received two weeks (14 days) prior to the start of the course for a full refund less a $100 administrative fee. Cancellations received less than two weeks (14 days) prior to the start of the course will result in the forfeiture of all registration fees. "No Shows" also forfeit all fees. Forfeited registration fees cannot be applied to subsequent PALTmed programs.

If it becomes necessary to cancel or postpone the start date of the course, PALTmed will not be responsible for travel or hotel costs incurred by the registrant. A full refund of registration fees will be made if the course is not rescheduled, or if the registrant is unable to attend the rescheduled course.

Elevate Your Expertise!

The Certified Medical Director (CMD) program is managed by PALTmed’s Certification Council. The prestigious CMD credential is an experiential- and education-based certification. Completion of the Core Curriculum on Medical Direction fulfills the requirements for step 1 of the CMD application process.


Why Certification Matters

★  Demonstrates commitment to high standards and quality care.
★  Showcases a practitioner’s expertise.
★  Boosts professional credibility and employer confidence.
★  Opens doors to new opportunities in the industry.


Eligibility

Steps 1 – 3: Certification is based on evidence of clinical and management education in addition to experience in the PALTC setting. Candidates for initial CMD certification must meet eligibility under three steps:

  1. General eligibility: Core Curriculum on Medical Direction in Post-Acute and Long-Term Care. This one-of-a-kind comprehensive course provides the tools needed to succeed as a medical director.
  2. Clinical eligibility: includes PALTC experience and CME activity.
  3. Management eligibility: includes PALTC experience and CME activity.

CME credits earned from PALTmed, state chapters, or other organizations are accepted.

After paying the non-refundable CMD application fee, applicants have up to one year to complete all the application requirements. For more details, please visit https://paltmed.org/certification/initial-certification.

FAQs – Initial CMD Certification

In what settings can medical experience qualify for the CMD credential? 

  • PALTmed certifies medical directors from nursing facilities, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living, hospice, home healthcare, CCRC, PACE, LTACH, and VA settings.

How much time do I have to complete the CMD application process? 

  • You can apply when you are certain that you are able to meet the application requirements within a year of submitting the application fee. (Before applying, please review the general requirements for initial certification at https://paltmed.org/certification/initial-certification.)

What are the definitions for clinical and management CME?

  • Clinical CME: AMA PRA category 1 credits™, AAFP-approved, or AOA-approved credits on topics such as diabetes, stroke, pressure ulcers, falls, hypertension, dementia, or other clinical issues seen in the long-term care patient population.
  • Management CME:  Management credits can come from such topics as billing/coding, communications with patients and staff, ethics, risk management, QI, leadership, cultural diversity, regulations, or other topics that pertain to the management responsibilities of the post-acute and long-term care Medical Director

Are CME activities from other organizations accepted? 

  • CME credits earned from PALTmed, state chapters, or other organizations are accepted. To search PALTmed’s education catalog, visit https://learn.paltmed.org/ and filter your search by credit type.

How often is recertification required? 

Question about the certification program or your application? 

Components visible upon registration.