Comments on: Proposed CME Changes Unnerve Some CME Firms

By: TheLastMohican

TheLastMohican — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 22:28:45 +0000

“Any true professional will keep current in their practice through a multitude of available education sources…CME credit or not.”

It’s not that simple. Over 50% of CME today is funded by pharma. And there’s a word used for the non-CME education you describe, it’s called advertising.

Granted, some CME is biased (ten years ago, I’d venture to say almost all of it was); but, today, most CME that I’m familiar with (60 credits every 2 years) attempts to be fair balanced.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. We shouldn’t disallow industry from paying for education simply because they have a motive for paying for it. Rather, put up regulations that can be enforced. Put some bite behind the rules.

By: Paul G

Paul G — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 21:56:41 +0000

“Any true professional will keep current in their practice through a multitude of available education sources…CME credit or not.
CME’s are big business…not necessarily good medicine.”

But many don’t. Several studies have shown that most don’t keep up.

By: laurie

laurie — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:29:19 +0000

“Some of you critics would like tp kill cme altogether. That means that your doctor will not have learned one thing since he or she left medical school.”

Give me a break….CME’s are far from the be all and end all of education. I can pay $30.00 to one of these CME organizations and get 30 CME credits without even taking a test, or do online CME courses on things that have NOTHING to do with my area of practice.
Any true professional will keep current in their practice through a multitude of available education sources…CME credit or not.
CME’s are big business…not necessarily good medicine.

By: Paul G

Paul G — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:44:33 +0000

I support what this company is doing. Some of the crazy rules are so excessive that they are throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Some of you critics would like tp kill cme altogether. That means that your doctor will not have learned one thing since he or she left medical school.

I’d rather be treated by a doctor that is up to date, even if some of the information is biased, than by a doctor who is clueless and knows only the old stuff (which was probably biased too).

By: Marilyn Mann

Marilyn Mann — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 21:42:37 +0000

This is hilarious.

By: harpy

harpy — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:54:53 +0000

Easy come, easy go.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:53:20 +0000

Per the Professional Postgraduate Services website: “Our overall goal is to conduct activities which will modify physician behavior”

Hmmmm….. That isn’t perhaps a reference to changing prescribing behavior, is it?

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:44:41 +0000

Not sure of the purpose or veracity of that last posting, but note that Professional Postgraduate Services is not in any way related to Rockpointe.

By: Sleaze CME

Sleaze CME — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:24:01 +0000

Rockpointe is a small CME company that is egregiously biased by industry funding. They have been to capitol hill recently desperately trying to stop changes.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 15:45:36 +0000

This is an opportunity for ALL people to weigh in with their opinions. Per the ACCME website: “The ACCME requests that the profession, the public and the CME enterprise weigh in on this subject. This needs to be debated by the medical profession and the education community. It needs to be discussed with colleagues, with other professions, with students, the government, stakeholders of CME including the public.” COmments are open until September 12.

http://www.accme.org/dir_docs/doc_upload/d6b96a50-084c-485b-b71a-6b405b9c07d8_uploaddocument.pdf