Elimination of Commercially Funded CME "Down in Flames"

In an expected move, representatives of the primary voting blocks of the AMA House of Delegates—primary care doctors, state medical societies, and specialty medical societies—strongly objected to an AMA proposal to eliminate commercially supported CME, according to today's Medical Marketing & Media. The AMA's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) had recommended the phasing out of nearly all commercial support for CME, an issue which was debated at a committee hearing on Sunday, during the annual meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in Chicago.

John Kamp, executive director of the Coalition for Healthcare Communication, reported that the proposal "went down in flames," according to the paper. The CHC, along with the North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies (NAAMECC), objected to the CEJA proposal on the basis of 3 general arguments:

[T]he report ignores the dramatic difference between certified CME and other non-certified 'education' and thus overlooks the significant advances in the management and resolution of conflicts of interest mandated in the last several years by government, industry and the [ACCME].

[T]he report's conclusions are not based on current and scientifically relevant and rigorous evidence in the context of certified CME and do not respect dramatic progress in the past decade.

[T]he report lacks a plausible, detailed plan to ensure that the proposed elimination of $1 billion in certified CME funding would improve the quality of certified CME and patient care.

Given the objections voiced at the AMA meeting, the CEJA proposal is "referred back to the council, effectively tabling it for the year," wrote the paper.