Chronic kidney disease stage III represents significant renal insufficiency and carries an increased risk of mortality and morbidity. The talk will discuss the determination of CKD categories, their clinical implications, and appropriate testing and monitoring. Participants will receive an in-depth look at outcomes and strategies for preventing progression of renal insufficiency and review the appropriate time for consultation with a renal specialist.

Genetics is increasingly utilized in healthcare. From the medical office to the home, consumer-focused over-the-counter (OTC) testing is now common-place. The challenge for the primary care clinician is to not only understand the types of genetics tests available and when to order them but also to respond appropriately to patients who have obtained OTC results on their own. While medical geneticists are available for consultation, the sheer volume of testing requires primary clinicians to develop a level of comfort with genomics.

Imagine the impact of diet and lifestyle on the human condition if knowledge were power; now consider the toll associated with failing to use that power. This keynote address will look closely at the body of evidence relating dietary pattern to human health and make the case that we are NOT clueless about the basic care and feeding of our species. Endless debate about the details of optimal diets, and an insatiable pop culture fascination with scapegoats and silver bullets, distract us from the well-known fundamentals of healthful eating and forestall the stunning advances in public health that would ensue were we to turn what we know into what we do. Dr. David Katz will make the case that lifestyle is the best, readily available medicine and culture could be the spoon that helps it go down. In the service of adding years to lives and life to years, learn what can be done to leverage lifestyle in both clinical and cultural settings.

Chronic kidney disease is common, yet many clinicians find it intimidating to manage. This session will give you the tools that you need to identify renal disease, recognize which patients are at risk for a decline in renal function, and practice the components of care.

Join this lecture for an overview of the pathophysiology, evaluation, and management of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The faculty will review current concepts, disease progression, and therapeutics. You will learn about surgical treatments and their impact in patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and obesity as well as the risk for hepatocellular carcinoma.

This talk will focus on the diagnosis and management of COPD in patients presenting to the primary care clinician. COPD is a common and costly condition with significant morbidity and mortality. The proper use and interpretation of Spirometry is required to make the correct diagnosis of COPD leading to both under and over diagnosis of this condition. Once diagnosed, the proper assessment and management of COPD (pharmacological and non-pharmacological) utilizes the COPD GOLD guidelines. These guidelines emphasize the use of patient symptoms and exacerbations to determine proper classification and subsequent treatments. Moreover, proper inhaler technique will be discussed as this represents a significant barrier in the care of COPD patients. The role of assessing COPD phenotypes and lung cancer screening will also be introduced to the primary care clinician with time for allotted time for audience questions on these important issues.

This lecture will focus on assessment and management of depression and anxiety in primary care. In addition to receiving an overview of screening tools and interview techniques, attendees will learn about challenges and obstacles to treating depression and anxiety. Topics will include recognizing frequent symptom presentations, differential diagnosis, common mistakes in prescribing, and a brief review of new medications. The speaker will discuss a treatment-to-target approach and how to choose medications based on side effect profile and target symptoms. Management of suicidal ideation and deciding when to refer are also highlighted topics for discussion in this session on the urgent need for optimal treatment of depression and anxiety in primary care.

Participate in this activity to get the most up-to-date information about menopause, systemic hormone therapy, and alternative treatment options to individualize and optimize care of your patients.

This case-based talk will review the approach to diagnosing rheumatic diseases. The faculty will update you with evidence on the management of diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

This lecture will address five common but challenging issues in primary care practice including the cause of a patient's red eye, the cause of a patient's pathologic headache, whether a patient is depressed or suicidal, whether a patient has endocarditis, and causes of a patient's back pain.

Infectious diseases syndromes are common in primary care practices. However, staying current with relevant literature that may influence appropriate evaluation and treatment of patients with these syndromes can be difficult, given the volumes of applicable articles and diversity of journals publishing these reports. This session will present some common infectious disease scenarios and provide crucial literature updates. You will learn about how responding to histories of penicillin allergy may result in adverse patient outcomes, the proper timing of influenza vaccination, the influence of substance abuse on risk medication adherence and infectious diseases risk, the appropriate evaluation of patients with suspected cellulitis syndromes, and the role of preoperative urine screening.