www.CMElectures.org/sma to be available to all Association Members

DATELINE / (October 9, 2006) -- Graduate Education Foundation (GEF), a non-profit dedicated to improving medical education and patient outcomes, today announced an affiliation arrangement with the Southern Medical Association (SMA) to provide its physicians with a unique series of on-line seminars presented in the classic "Grand Rounds" format.

Michael S. Feldman, M.D., F.A.C.C., founder and chairman of GEF as well as a practicing cardiologist and professor of medicine, said, "SMA is an outstanding medical society with a long history of supporting the latest advancements in continuing medical education (CME)." He said, "They are exactly the kind of partner we envisioned when our faculty of medical educators developed www.CMElectures.org."

"The vast amount of information available to physicians today requires the Southern Medical Association to assist physicians in developing a convenient system for medical knowledge management. The GEF/SMA collaboration helps to make this possible," states Edward J. Waldron, Executive Vice President of Southern Medical Association. It is the goal of Southern Medical to provide its members with the most timely and relevant information and technology in the most convenient, cost-efficient manner.

"Grand Rounds Online" provides doctors with an on-demand lecture series that for the first time brings to the physician's computer the quality, content and educational benefit previously experienced only in the traditional grand-rounds hospital environment. Included individually or as part of the series is a unique five lecture symposium by David B. Nash, M.D., M.B.A., F.A.C.P. on practice based learning and systems-based skills. Dr. Nash is Founder and Chairman of the Department of Health Policy at Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, and is a member of the GEF faculty and its Medical Board of Advisors.

Developed by medical educators for doctors, www.CMElectures.org consists of more than 140 fully accredited, multi-media presentations covering the full spectrum of medical and surgical care. All lectures are original, evidence based, timely and relevant to daily practice. They are reviewed annually and updated as changes in clinical practice warrant.

For a modest monthly subscription (less than the cost of many journal subscriptions), physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants on the front lines of American healthcare can easily enroll and have instant and unlimited access to world-class medical authorities, almost as if they were accompanying them on hospital grand rounds.

Dr. Feldman stated, "Medicine is changing so rapidly that it is difficult to keep up with current best practices. We are embracing web-based technology and tailoring the programs to help physicians make better informed decisions about patient care."

Unlike many other CME programs, the GEF series accepts no commercial support from pharmaceutical companies or medical device manufacturers. This important policy preserves the integrity of the content and the objectivity of the distinguished faculty. Besides operating the on-line CME service, GEF awards institutional master teacher grants at the medical school and postgraduate residency level.

Established in 1906, Southern Medical Association is a multi-specialty medical association which enables physicians regionally and nationally to practice the highest standards of medicine by fostering professional development and economic stability through education, services, collegiality, and leadership. Southern Medical specifically implements resources for physicians who are frequent users of new technology and internet based tools who want to enhance patient care, the patient physician relationship, and overall effectiveness in their practice. Physicians find Southern Medical to be their partner to achieving Total Practice Performance.

For more information, visit www.cmelectures.org, or call 1-877-263-5400.

About Graduate Education Foundation (GEF)
GEF is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2002 to enhance the training of a new generation of healthcare providers by improving both the quality of and access to Continuing Medical Education. Its CMElectures.org division is the only group that dedicates 100% of its programming to original medical lectures for online learning. Their mission is to better prepare providers to meet the challenges of a dynamic and constantly changing healthcare environment by offering a timely, unbiased, evidence-based lecture series available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

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