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Frequently Asked Questions
 OVERVIEW
- Q. What is ACP Medicine?
- A. ACP Medicine is an innovative
medical resource published by BC Decker Inc. It is continuously updated by
leading physicians and other top medical experts from the leading universities
in North
America and provides practicing clinicians with the medical knowledge needed
for the best patient care.
Published since 1978, it covers the 11 subspecialties of internal medicine plus selected topics in Women's Health, Neurology, Emergency Medicine, and Psychiatry. ACP Medicine is available as a loose-leaf book, a bound book, a CD-ROM, and an online resource. Updating ranges from monthly to every 18 months, depending on the format. A free monthly e-newsletter, What's New in ACP Medicine, helps readers stay abreast of key developments.
To help reduce out-of-office time and money spent on expensive CME courses, ACP Medicine Self-Assessment Questions provides doctors with up to 120 Category 1 credits. (Click http://support.acpmedicine.com/cme_accreditation.htm to see our accreditation information.)
Our newly launched Best Dx/Best Rx, currently offered free of charge, provides the essentials of diagnosis and treatment. Its format, using lists and tables, is ideal for PDA use.
- Q. How does ACP Medicine Online compare with other electronic
databases?
- A. ACP Medicine is different from other electronic databases in two ways. First, when ACP Medicine updates its chapters in its electronic database, it integrates new information in context with what has been proven. Some other medical publications use their electronic databases to present new information and findings tacked on to the end of chapters, sometimes contradicting other information in the chapter. Second, searches in ACP Medicine are designed to produce the most relevant results, not scores of results that need to be sorted through to find the pertinent information.
- Q. How does ACP Medicine compare with other textbooks?
- A. Although ACP Medicine is available as a two-volume bound edition, it differs from most medical textbooks in two important ways. First, ACP Medicine publishes new versions in much shorter intervals, currently every 18 months. Most other medical textbooks wait up to three years between publications. Second, ACP Medicine is written for the practicing physician, focusing primarily on diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations, clinical decision making, and current best practices. Residents and medical students certainly can benefit from the clinical decision making provided in ACP Medicine, though they are not the primary audience.
- Q. How can ACP Medicine help me practice better medicine?
- A. ACP Medicine assists you in determining the best way to diagnose your patient's ailments and treat them. ACP Medicine starts by presenting a particular condition's epidemiology, pathophysiology, and pathogenesis so that you can understand the particular disease and how it affects different people. Recommendations are then offered regarding which lab tests to order and how to diagnose and treat the condition.
- Q. Can ACP Medicine serve as a teaching tool or help me prepare for
recertification?
- A. Yes. And ACP Medicine is used often in this way. ACP Medicine provides a unique blend of the authority of a reference text and the currency of a periodical. By publishing new or updated chapters each month, our readers can keep current by reviewing this manageable amount of new material on a regular basis, while still having the benefit of a comprehensive, authoritative medical reference. What's New in ACP Medicine is a monthly newsletter that highlights key elements in each chapter. Our CME program follows this same principle by publishing questions based on each month's new or updated chapters. The questions are then linked back to the chapters so that readers can review in more depth if they so choose.
- Q. How current is ACP Medicine?
- A. ACP Medicine, in its variety of formats, is the most current reference of internal medicine on the market. ACP Medicine Online and the loose-leaf format are updated every month, with as many as eight new or revised chapters. Over the years 2003 and 2004, over 67% of the content was revised or replaced with new information. In 2004 alone, 41% of the content was updated. The length of time between updates of the bound volume is about every 18 months. The current version of the ACP Medicine bound edition has over 30% new or updated material compared with the previous version.
- Q. Is the content the same in the electronic versions as in the bound and
loose-leaf volumes?
- A. All of our chapters are first published on ACP Medicine Online and the CD-ROM formats. Every 18 months, all of these chapters are then published in the 2-volume bound book format. Because of size constraints, the loose-leaf format, which is updated monthly, does not carry our Women's Health chapters. However, subscribers to the loose-leaf format are entitled to free access to the Web site, where they may view this section.
- Q. How does your 30-day free trial work?
- A. If for any reason you are not satisfied
with your purchase of ACP Medicine in any of its formats, you can
simply mark "cancel" on your invoice and return your products to us or call
our Customer Service department at 1-800-568-7281 (US
and Canada), or
Internationally at 905-522-7017 to terminate an ACP
Medicine
Online subscription) and you will owe nothing.
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EDITORIAL
- Q. How do you decide which topics to update and when?
- A. Our Editorial Board and authors continually monitor developments in their fields. As important new advances occur in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, our authors revise their chapters, incorporating new information into their chapters in its logical context.
- Q. Describe the ACP Medicine peer-review process.
- A. Before we publish a new or revised chapter, the Associate Editor responsible for that topic reviews the chapter and invites comments from 2 to 4 outside peer reviewers. These reviewers are drawn from 3 groups: experts on the topic, generalist and specialist literature reviewers for the ACP Journal Club, and authors of the Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program from the American College of Physicians.
Reviewers are asked to make specific comments on the concepts and recommendations in the chapter and give their overall impressions of the accuracy and currency of the medical information presented, its clinical relevance, the soundness of the recommendations, and the chapter's use of illustrations and tables. The Associate Editors and authors then use this information to help guide the update of the chapter or the editing of a new chapter. This process is highly unusual among textbooks and represents a major strength for ACP Medicine.
- Q. What is What's New in ACP Medicine?
- A. What's New in ACP Medicine is our newsletter sent to your email inbox. What's New in ACP Medicine gives you a quick look at "must know" information, summarizing the areas we've revised and flagging key developments you'll want to read about-FDA drug approvals or withdrawals, new care guidelines, and useful experts' commentaries on important findings-to help you identify new advances that are significant to your practice. This email version of the newsletter is available free online. Subscribers to the loose-leaf format receive a print edition of What's New in ACP Medicine as part of their monthly update package.
- Q. How long has ACP Medicine been published?
- A. ACP Medicine began as Scientific American® Medicine,* or SAM, in 1978. The name was changed to ACP Medicine in the spring of 2004, but without changing any of the features that subscribers loved about SAM: a clear, consistent writing style, high-quality tables and illustrations, and content that is continually reviewed and updated. Most of the same authors and all of the editors from SAM continue to work on the publication. The publishing partnership with the American College of Physicians brings to ACP Medicine a continued commitment to evidence-based medicine and peer-reviewed treatment recommendations, hallmarks of the ACP.
- Q. What is the relationship between ACP Medicine and the American
College of Physicians?
- A. In 2004, we joined forces with the American College of Physicians (www.acponline.org) to produce the first comprehensive reference of internal medicine bearing their name. This collaboration was a product of an extensive review of the content of the publication and editorial processes by the College, as well as a shared and long-standing commitment to helping physicians achieve excellence in clinical practice.
The Editor-in-Chief of ACP Medicine reports directly to the Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of the College regarding content development and peer review procedures, as well as editorial standards of the publication. In addition, our Editor-in-Chief provides an annual report to the ACP Publications Committee. A strong connection has long existed between our organizations, with many of our editors and authors having also been active in the College's educational programs and publications.
- Q. What is Best Dx/Best Rx?
- A. Best Dx/Best Rx is a free tool that provides fast access to expert guidance at the point of care. The recommendations in Best Dx/Best Rx are written by recognized authorities for use in clinical settings to help answer essential questions relating to diagnosis, treatment, and clinical evidence.
Best Dx/Best Rx modules are based on chapters in ACP Medicine and are
available on ACP Medicine Online, on Medscape (www.medscape.com).
For
more on how to get BestDx/Best Rx click
here ».
- Q. How does ACP Medicine select its authors?
- A. The Associate Editor in charge of each section invites authors who are leading experts in their fields. Our chapters are frequently written by a single author who is a senior in the field, such as a director of a medical department at a major medical facility. In addition, we make a point of seeking out authors who practice medicine and see patients regularly-as opposed to non-clinicians who might be less clinical practice oriented-to provide answers to such questions as "How do I diagnose this disease" and "How do I best treat it".
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LICENSING
- Q. Can I get a license for more than one user for ACP Medicine Online?
- A. Yes. Whether you have a handful of users at one site or dozens of users in several facilities, we have site-licensing programs tailored to suit your needs.
You will get continually updated content; fast answers to clinical questions; links to resources, including abstracts, references, guidelines, and patient information; and thesaurus and abbreviations searches. Users can access by username and password or IP authentication. We offer economical concurrent-user pricing. To learn more about site licensing or our other subscription options, please call
our Customer Service department at 1-800-568-7281 (US
and Canada), or
Internationally at 905-522-7017.
- Q. How can I get a demo password to evaluate ACP Medicine site
licensing?
- A. Evaluate ACP Medicine Online for your institution with our free 30-day account trial. We can set your trial access by username and password or IP authentication. Contact acpmedicine@bcdecker.com now to request your 30-day trial or for more information.
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CME
- Q. How many credits are available with the ACP Medicine CME program?
- A. Our online CME program makes 120 Category 1 credits available at any time during the year, as long as 12 tests are completed within 12 months of enrollment. Your registration is valid for the term of your subscription to ACP Medicine. Once your subscription to ACP Medicine expires, you will need to renew your subscription in order to access additional online CME tests or to gain access to your Logbook. Please be sure to print out all your certificates before expiration of your ACP Medicine subscription.
If you are a print CME subscriber, you will receive one printed CME test per month, which is worth 10 credits; you have 12 months after you've received each test to complete and return it for full credit. Over the course of the 12 months, you may submit the tests at your convenience, from one per month to all 12 at the end of the subscription period.
- Q. How long does it take to get my CME certificate?
- A. For online CME subscribers, when you complete each test, a certificate of credit will be generated automatically, which you may print out and submit directly to your board or other organization. You may access your certificates at any time from the CME Logbook, as long as you remain an active subscriber to the CME program.
Subscribers to the print CME must send the tests to us so that we can record their completion. When you need your certificate, you may request it by phone, fax, e-mail or regular mail. A certificate noting all the credits you have earned during the subscription period will be sent to you.
- Q. What if I am interrupted while I am taking an online CME test?
- A. To stop a test and restart it at a later time, click on the "Set Bookmark and Quit" button in the upper right corner. You can later return to the test where you left off by selecting Bookmark in your CME Logbook.
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CUSTOMER SERVICE
- Q. What happens if I lose my password to ACP Medicine Online?
- A. Just access the site using your subscription
account number, and you will be able to reset your password from "Your Account" page.
Your account number appears on any mailing from us, such as the mailing label
from your print or CD edition or on correspondence you receive from us (i.e.,
invoices, renewal notices, or order acknowledgments). On the mailing, the account
number appears above your name and has 8 to 10 digits. If you do not have your
label or account number, call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-568-7281 (US
and Canada), or
Internationally at 905-522-7017, from
8:30 AM to 5 PM EST Monday through Friday. You may also send your inquiry by
fax
to 905-522-7839 or by e-mail to acpmedicine@bcdecker.com.
- Q. What do I do if I am asked for a user name and password but haven't
created them yet?
- A. You will need to log on using your online account number, which appears on mailing labels or correspondence from us. The account number appears above your name and has 8 to 10 digits. The first time you log on using your account number, you will be asked to create a user name and password for accessing the site. Once you choose a user name and password, you may log on to the site using either your account number or your user name and password. If you don't have your account number, please call the Customer Service Department at 1-800-568-7281 (US
and Canada), or
Internationally at 905-522-7017; send a fax to 905-522-7839; or send an e-mail to acpmedicine@bcdecker.com.
- Q.How do I renew my subscription to ACP Medicine?
- A. You may renew your subscription online, by fax, by mail, or over the phone-whichever is most convenient for you.
Renewing Online
You can renew your subscription to ACP Medicine instantly and securely online at www.acpmedicine.com. Enter your account number under the link "Sign in for Current Subscribers." You will see your subscription items and the expiration dates. An option to renew will appear under the category of the product you currently receive.
Renewing by Phone
To renew your order by phone, call 1-800-568-7281 (US
and Canada), or
Internationally at 905-522-7017; between 8:30 AM and
5
PM (EST).
Renewing by Fax or Mail
You can renew your subscription by faxing the renewal form you received in the mail to 905-522-7839. Your order will be processed immediately upon receipt. Please include your account number on the renewal order.
OR Mail the renewal form to the following address:
BC Decker Inc
PO Box 620, LCD1
Hamilton, ON L8N 3K7
Canada
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TECHNICAL
- Q. How does the ACP Medicine search engine work?
- A. Our search engine offers both Quick Search and Advanced Search options, which can be found at the top of the ACP Medicine search page. Use the Quick Search choice if you want to do a quick, simple search for a single word or concept: simply type in a word, and then click on the Search button to start your search. If you want to narrow your search results, you may use the Advanced Search Tool. There are additional recommendations on using our search features in Advanced Search in the paid area of the site.
- Q. What are the system requirements for use of the ACP Medicine
CD-ROM?
- A. Windows:
- Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows NT v3.51 or later, Windows ME, or Windows XP
- 32 MB RAM
- Netscape 7 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later
- A Java-enabled browser is required
- Internet connection is optional but useful to access links to full-text references
Macintosh:
- Macintosh Power PC
- 32 MB RAM recommended
- System 7.5.3 or later
- Netscape 7.02 is required and provided on the CD
- Internet connection is optional but useful to access links to full-text references
- Q. What are the system requirements for use of ACP Medicine Online?
- A. You must use Netscape 7 or Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher. Your browser must be Java enabled.
- Q. Is technical support included in my subscription to ACP Medicine
Online?
- A. Yes. Technical support is free to all subscribers of ACP Medicine.
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PERMISSIONS
- Q. How can I get permission to reprint a chapter, table, or illustration that
appears in ACP Medicine?
- A. For Permissions, please go to the BC
Decker Permissions Page.
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