This activity is jointly provided by Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance (PMD Alliance) and The Association of Movement Disorder Advanced Practice Providers (AMDAPP).

Movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, are increasingly encountered across neurology, primary care, and geriatric settings, yet early recognition, accurate differentiation, and optimal management are not consistently performed. Parkinson’s disease is the fastest-growing neurological disorder globally, creating rising demand for clinicians skilled in diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, access to movement disorder specialists remains limited, with many patients managed by non-specialists. These gaps can contribute to delayed diagnosis, misinterpretation of treatment response (e.g., levodopa nonresponse), and missed opportunities for advanced therapies such as deep brain stimulation or infusion therapies.

APPs need additional education and training to effectively diagnose and manage movement disorders. Limited movement-disorder content in APP training, combined with the rapid growth of Parkinson’s disease and a shortage of specialists, requires APPs across neurology, primary care, and geriatrics to develop greater competency in screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Estimated time to complete activity: 15 minutes

Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance (PMD Alliance) and The Association of Movement Disorder Advanced Practice Providers (AMDAPP).  PMD Alliance is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation

Continuing Medical Education

PMD Alliance designates this course for a maximum of 4 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  

Claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Educational Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Apply current diagnostic criteria to accurately identify atypical parkinsonian disorders (PSP, CBS, MSA, DLB).
• Integrate appropriate ancillary testing and biomarkers into diagnostic evaluation.
• Differentiate drug-induced parkinsonism from idiopathic Parkinson’s disease based on clinical presentation, medication history, and diagnostic features.
• Identify medications commonly associated with drug-induced parkinsonism, including antipsychotics, antiemetics, and other dopamine-blocking agents.
• Describe the indications and mechanisms of action for advanced therapies used in movement disorders, including botulinum toxin, deep brain stimulation (DBS), and infusion pump therapies.
• Identify appropriate patient candidates for botulinum toxin injections, DBS, and pump therapies based on clinical features and treatment response.
• Identify prodromal and early clinical features of common movement disorders.
• Recognize red flags suggesting atypical parkinsonian syndromes.

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

Parkinson and Movement Disorder Alliance (PMD Alliance) requires faculty, planners, and others in control of educational content to disclose all their financial relationships with ineligible companies.  PMD Alliance is committed to providing its learners with high quality accredited continuing education activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of an ineligible company.

Faculty/Panelists reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CME activity:

Jenera Scott

• No disclosures to report.

Alexis Santangelo

• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Merz, Supernus, and Amneal.

Erin Zinn

• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Merz and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America.

Planners and authors reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CME activity:

Cheryl Kyinn 

• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Amneal, Merz, Abbvie, Supernus, and Acadia.

Amanada Guggenmos

• No disclosures to report.

Jordan Harborth

• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Supernus.

Maria Schmidt

• No disclosures to report.

Clarisse Goas

• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America.

Erin Zinn

• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Merz and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America.

Jason Rivera

• No disclosures to report.

All identified relevant financial relationships are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to PMD Alliance CME Program standard operating procedures. 

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA.  The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.  The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners.  Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Commercial Support

This activity is supported by independent medical education grants from Acadia.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development.  The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management.  Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient's conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Request for Credit

In order to obtain your CME certificate, please follow the directions provided at the conclusion of the course.  

If you have questions regarding the certification of this activity, please contact PMD Alliance at education@pmdalliance.org