MER Primary Care Conferences Cardiology & Pulmonology for Primary Care Jun 26-28, 2026

1. Overview

Conference Name: Cardiology & Pulmonology for Primary Care.

Organizer: Medical Education Resources (MER), a non-profit organization.

Date: June 26-28, 2026.

Location: The Westin Nashville in Nashville, TN.

2. Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this program, participants should be better able to:

Implement lifestyle changes as well as lipid and cholesterol guidelines for the prevention of CAD.

Explain current concepts in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension.

Describe the work-up, risk assessment and test selection of patients with suspected CAD.

Utilize case-based learning to develop treatment plans for cardiovascular conditions.

Implement treatment strategies reflective of recent guidelines and current evidence based medicine for heart failure.

Describe current diagnostic and treatment approaches to arrhythmias and atrial fibrilation.

Describe current diagnostic approaches and the role of drug therapy to the patient with acute chest pain.

Utilize case-based learning to develop treatment plans for cardiovascular conditions.

Diagnose and manage patients with asthma.

Design treatment strategies reflective of current evidence-based medicine for common respiratory infections.

Describe the current therapeutic management of COPD.

Discuss diagnosis and screening strategies as well as treatment plans for lung nodules and lung cancer.

3. Target Audience
This program is targeted to office-based primary care providers and other health professionals with updates in primary care medicine. Best for internists, primary care physicians, cardiologists, and pulmonologists.
4. Topics
Cardiology (June 26 & 27, 2026)

Primary & Secondary Prevention of CAD: Definitions; AHA/ACC and other lipid guidelines updates; HDL Cholesterol: The good cholesterol?; Metabolic syndrome and/or obesity; Who needs treatment and how much; The role of lifestyle changes, exercise and cardiac rehabilitation; Drug therapy updates; Risk calculation.

Hypertension: The 2017 AHA/ACC Hypertension Guidelines; The 2024 ESC Guidelines for hypertension; Approaches to treatment thresholds and goals; Choices for initial and combination therapy; Resistant hypertension; Treating special populations: diabetics, the elderly, patients with renal failure.

Work-up of Patients with Suspected CAD: Risk factor evaluation and risk assessment models; Test selection including ECG, echo, nuclear and newer imaging modalities (including discussion of appropriate use criteria–AUC); The usefulness of CT scanning; The role of bio markers and EBCT; Suspected CAD in special populations (women, diabetics, the elderly).

Heart Failure: Etiologies and stages of heart failure; ACC/AHA Heart Failure Guidelines; Heart failure with reduced EF (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved EF (HFpEF); Determining patients for referral using biomarkers, eg NT Pro BNP; Treatment options: ACE inhibitors, ARBS, ARNI, beta blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, SGLT2i; The role of devices (ICD and/or CRT) in treatment and antiplatelet drugs; Issues related to the hospitalized patient with acute decompensated heart failure and readmissions.

Arrhythmias: Types and symptoms of arrhythmias; Approach to the patient: when to treat, when to refer, when to admit; Evaluation of the patient with palpitations; Atrial fibrilation: the use of anticoagulants indications, CVA risk scores, warfarin vs newer oral anticoagulants, controlling heart rate vs rhythm; Ventricular and other arrhythmias: when are they serious.

Acute Coronary Syndromes: The Patient with Acute Chest Pain: Diagnosis and initial evaluation in the primary care setting, urgent care clinic and emergency department; Initial workup, treatment, and follow-up; Diagnosing and treating ST segment elevation and non-ST segment elevation MIs; The role of drug therapy–primary vs adjunctive to PCI; Follow up after acute coronary syndromome.

Cardiology Cases: Challenging case presentations in cardiology (covered across two sessions).

Pulmonology (June 27 & 28, 2026)

Asthma: The medical impact of asthma; fundamental role of inflammation, with possible scarring and irreversible loss of lung function; practical points of diagnosis; goal setting management based on levels of severity; risk factors for mortality and treatment in the acute setting; management options for the difficult to control asthmatic patient.

Controversies in the Treatment of Common Respiratory Infections: Acute and chronic bronchitis; pneumonia (community versus hospital-acquired); role of the Pneumonia Severity Index score in determining indication for hospitalization; cost-effective use of antibiotics; clinical significance of drug resistance; guidelines for management.

COPD: Definition; pathophysiology; early detection and intervention; risk reduction; management update including new modalities (including lung volume reduction surgery) and the role of inhaled corticosteroids and domiciliary oxygen.

Lung Cancer Screening & Pulmonary Nodules: Appropriate use of the new lung cancer screening recommendations; Fleischner Society guidelines and American College of Chest Physician Lung Cancer guidelines; approach to definitive evaluation and management strategies.