Target Audience: This activity is designed to improve the competence, performance, and patient outcomes of physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals. Learners will determine individual practice gaps and address them through a performance improvement plan. Learners will assess and evaluate performance techniques used in their practices.

Our goal: The overall objective of this activity is to guide you through the process of self-evaluation using evidence-based clinical quality measures. Once practices are implemented as an everyday clinical function, it is expected that you will have achieved performance change in your practice setting.  

Educational objectives of this activity: At the conclusion of this activity, clinicians will be able to:

• Display a greater level of competence in improving patient-centered outcomes in treating patients with substance use disorders who are also tobacco users in their clinical practice.

• Discuss general concepts and terminology related to tobacco use.

• Demonstrate improved performance in working with patients who are also tobacco users.

Core Competencies as a result of participating in this continuing education activity: 

• Interpersonal Skills and Communication
• Medical Knowledge
• Patient Care
• Practice-based Learning and Improvement

Successful completion of this activity: You MUST COMPLETE all 3 stages to be awarded credit. Partial credit will not be awarded. 

The stages of this PIP and SA activity: This PIP and SA activity follows the AMA-standardized three-stage process of a PI CME that includes: 

• Stage A - Assess: Assess your current practice against current evidence, expert consensus, and peers' practice; 
• Stage B - Apply: Develop and follow your own improvement plan; 
• Stage C - Evaluate: Reassess your practice to measure the effects of your improvement plan.

A minimum of 1 month must pass from the beginning to the final stage, but it is likely (and recommended) that the process will take 3-6 months.