Corporate Performance Consultants, Inc. Selected to Create Curriculum to Dramatically Impact Patient Safety

HAUPPAUGE, NY, September 27, 2010 (Press-News.org) Corporate Performance Consultants, Inc. (CPC) and its Founder and President, Ellen Cooperperson, have been selected to lead the faculty of a groundbreaking project that will help 8,000 medical doctors and other healthcare providers to improve their interpersonal and communications skills, which are crucial for improved patient outcomes. Such improvements in these skills have been demonstrated to increase patient adherence to doctors' recommendations by up to 19 percent. The groundbreaking project is a collaboration among CPC, a consultancy with a demonstrated history of highly innovative and effective organizational training programs, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R), the official medical association committed to advancing the specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and WE MOVE, an ACCME accredited educational provider specializing in neurology and physiatry.

"This project is an incredible opportunity for Corporate Performance Consultants to help physicians communicate more effectively and in the process save people's lives," said Ellen Cooperperson, the company's founder and president.

The need for improved communication skills of medical doctors has become a critical focus of medical education. In 2009, the National Board of Medical Examiners added a Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS) Subcomponent to the United States Medical Licensing Examination. Interpersonal and communication skills have also been identified as core competencies in medical education by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in recent years.

"The methods we've been using to assure quality and to build teams in organizations will now be used for an even greater purpose," continued Cooperperson. "That purpose will result in measurable improvements in the health of Americans by assisting physicians in building stronger relationships with their patients. This will certainly increase the likelihood that patients will follow their doctor's advice. We feel truly privileged to have been selected for this project."

Known for producing extraordinary outcomes for hundreds of businesses of all sizes in diverse industries since 1986, Corporate Performance Consultants, Inc. is the firm of choice for enhanced organizational communication by companies throughout the United States and globally. Through a media rich learning experience, this activity will challenge physicians to consider the science of how they communicate as opposed to just what they communicate, to identify the style of communication they generally employ in patient interactions and to learn to recognize the language cues associated with other communication styles so that they modify their responses to optimize a patient's ability to understand.

"A critical intersection exists between patient safety and communication," explained Judith Blazer, Executive Director, of WE MOVE. "People living with movement disorders have few therapeutic options available to them. This underscores the need for education around strategies that would improve their outcomes."

Steve R. Geiringer, Chairman, AAPM&R's Medical Education Committee, described the essence of physiatric practice is to "enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. Effective dialogue and feedback between the patient and physician is crucial in achieving optimal patient outcomes. AAPM&R is pleased to be a partner in this project focused on improving one of the crucial elements of patient-centered care and safety."

Funds for the development of this activity were provided through an unrestricted educational grant from Merz Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

About CORPORATE PERFORMANCE CONSULTANTS, INC.
Since 1986, Ellen Cooperperson's Corporate Performance Consultants, Inc. (CPC) has helped business leaders to measurably improve their organizations' performance. Corporate Performance Consultants has supported hundreds of organizational leaders throughout the United States and globally to communicate more effectively, manage change and drive innovative growth.

About WE MOVE
WE MOVE is a not-for-profit organization that utilizes creativity, innovation, and collaborative approaches to improve awareness, diagnosis, and management of movement disorders among people living with movement disorders and the professionals who care for them.

About THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION (AAPM&R)
AAPM&R is the national medical specialty society of more than 8,000 physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians, also called physiatrists. PM&R physicians care for patients with acute and chronic pain, catastrophic injuries, musculoskeletal disorders, back pain, and work- or sports-related injuries. They also coordinate the long term rehabilitation process for patients with spinal cord injuries, cancer, stroke or other neurological disorders, brain injuries, amputations and multiple sclerosis.

About MERZ PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.
Merz is a leader in research and development of pharmaceuticals for the treatment of neurological and psychological disorders as well as for aesthetic dermatology, including best-in-class products for the treatment of wrinkles and aging skin, hair loss and acne.

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