NAMEC News

Congratulations to the 2025 CME Best Practices Award Recipients

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:11:56 GMT

2025 Winners

NAMEC Best Practice in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medical Education:
Presented To: DKBmed: Crowning Health: Empowering HIV Prevention & Care
NAMEC Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders
Presented To: Iridium Continuing Education: Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome Across the Continuum: Optimizing Seizure and Non-Seizure Outcomes from Pediatrics to Adulthood
NAMEC Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design
Presented To: ACHL: Navigating Treatment Outside of Clinical Trial Exclusion Criteria: Should This Transplant-Ineligible Patient Receive Quadruplet Therapy for NDMM?
NAMEC Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods
Presented To: Iridium Continuing Education: Empowering Patients, Elevating Care: Improving Cultural Competency in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Care
NAMEC Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Presented To: NACE: Conversations in Pulmonology/Conversations in Primary Care (CPC)
NAMEC Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design
Presented To: Global Education Group: Hospitalist and Emergency Procedures Course
NAMEC Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional
Presented To: Melissa Wiles

The awards were presented at the end of the MEC Member Section at the Alliance Meeting on Monday, February 16, 2026. Join NAMEC to be eligible for 2026 Best Practice Awards!

Learn to Thrive 2026

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 21:13:16 GMT

Join your colleagues from across the accredited CE community at Learn to Thrive 2026—ACCME’s annual educational gathering—on May 6–8, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel! Learn to Thrive promises to be an energizing three-day event designed to spark new ideas, foster meaningful connections, and equip you with practical strategies to advance healthcare education. Discover how you can drive real impact in your organization and beyond. Learn more and register at www.accmemeeting.org. Early Bird rates are available through February 6, 2026.

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:22:49 GMT

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of DirectorsThe deadline for nomination submissions is November 23, 2025

This is a call for nominations to fill open seats for the NAMEC Board of Directors.

1 President-Elect Position (1-year term, 2-year term as President, and 1-year term as Past President); must be a current BOD member
One Director Position (3-year term)
One Director Position (2-year term)

Duties of Directors

Directors must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (usually held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Directors must be willing to Chair standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Directors should also be willing to serve as an officer of the organization (officer nominees must come from the current members of the Board)

Qualifications of Nominees

Nominees should be employed by a NAMEC member organization and have at least 3 years’ experience in the CE/CPD industry
All nominees should possess leadership ability, a high degree of personal and professional integrity, and the ability to recruit members to the organization and volunteers to support our activities
In addition, the organization encourages individuals with one or more of the following characteristics, which have been identified as critical skills/qualifications for Board members:
- Familiarity with changes in healthcare and medical education, particularly the role of CE/CPD in improving the quality and safety of patient care
- CE/CPD regulatory expertise
- Experience related to MEC public relations and/or advocacy
- Strong skills in business, marketing, and/or communications
- Knowledge of adult education principles

Nomination and Election Process

To be eligible for nomination, candidates must be members of organizations that meet the definition of “full voting”
Any representative of a “full voting” organization may make a nomination, including a self-nomination.
Candidates must submit the following information to the NAMEC Business Office, info@NAMEC-assn.org by November 23, 2025
- A biographical sketch of no more than 350 words
- A “statement of philosophy” pertinent to the goals and mission of the organization of no more than 350 words

The Nomination and Elections Committee will review the submissions, prepare the slate of candidates, and email a ballot to the “primary” member of each “full voting” organization.
All ballots (1 from each member organization) must be cast on or before December 12, 2025
The results of the election will be announced on or before December 19, 2025

Candidates should expect an email acknowledging receipt of their submission from the NAMEC business office. If an acknowledgement is not received, please call 205-824-7612 to ensure your submission is received.

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics

NAMEC board members have an obligation to do more than just meet legal standards. NAMEC board members are expected to meet standards of conduct as well. All board members must agree to uphold the NAMEC Board of Directors Code of Ethics statement upon election to the Board.

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics statement

As a member of the NAMEC Board of Directors I will:

Ensure that my fiduciary duty to NAMEC is the foundation for all of my actions as a Board member
Represent the interests of all members served by NAMEC
Refrain from using my service on the NAMEC Board primarily for my own personal advantage
Keep confidential any information so designated by the Board of Directors
Approach all Board issues with an open mind, listen respectfully to the opinions of my Board colleagues, and make decisions based on the best interests of NAMEC and its members
Act with the authority of NAMEC only when such authority is delegated to me by the Board or the bylaws
Sign or e-mail an agreement attesting to this policy

All interested candidates should forward their biographical sketch and statement of philosophy to the NAMEC Business Office by November 23, 2025.

Email: info@NAMEC-assn.org

Website: http://www.NAMEC-assn.org

If you have questions regarding the nominations process or the duties of Officers and Directors, please contact Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

ACCME’s Learn to Thrive 2026: Call for Proposals

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 12 Sep 2025 14:03:04 GMT

Be a voice to Learn to Thrive 2026! ACCME’s Call for Proposals is now open, with submissions accepted through Friday, October 3, 2025.

Learn to Thrive 2026, ACCME’s annual meeting, will take place on May 6-8, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. CE providers and other stakeholders are invited to shape te conversation by submitting proposals for:

1. Inspire and Teach! peer-led sessions

2. CE Effectiveness & Best Practices research project(s)

3. Better Together working group proposals

Visit the Learn to Thrive 2026 Call for Proposals website for details and submission guidelines.

NAMEC Presents the 2024 Best Practices Awards

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 15:40:49 GMT

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC), is pleased to announce the winners of the 20th annual NAMEC Best Practices Awards to improve Continuing Medical Education (CME).

NAMEC Best Practice in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medical Education presented to CME Outfitters: Addressing Racial Disparities and Implicit Bias: A Multi-Year Health Equity Educational Initiative - https://www.cmeoutfitters.com/practice/diversity-and-inclusion-hub/

NAMEC Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders presented to Global Education Group and Iridium Continuing Education, LLC: Bridging Distances in PAH: Bringing Best Practices to the People Through Telementoring - https://www.iridiumce.com/bridging-distances-in-pah

NAMEC Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design presented to ACHL: Heart or Lung Conundrums: Unleash Your Diagnostic Skills - https://www.achlcme.org/case-challenge-social

NAMEC Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods presented to ACHL: Establishing Effective Interprofessional Care Pathways for Obstructive Sleep Apnea - https://www.osainstitute.org/?utm_source=namec&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=award&utm_id=sleep230

NAMEC Best Practice in Learner Outcomes presented to DKBmed: Saving Sight: Vision Protection & Blindness Prevention in Diabetes – Achieving Best Practice in Learner Outcomes through AI-Driven DR Screening and Education - https://dkbmed.com/programs?categories%5B%5D=11&sort=

NAMEC Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design presented to HMP Education, An HMP Global Company: TD360 Learning Lab: An Innovative Self-Directed, Expert-Driven, and Hands-On Reinforced Learning Experience - https://www.td-360.com/

NAMEC Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional presented to Andrea Funk - https://www.globaleducationgroup.com

The 2025 Best Practices awards will be requested later this year and we encourage companies that have qualifying projects to consider becoming a member to be eligible to submit for an award.

More information is available to learn more about the history of the NAMEC awards program.

About NAMEC

NAMEC is a professional association dedicated to:

• Represent the interests of medical education companies (MECs), including advocacy for MECs and education of the professionals who work for them.

• Support the advancement of certified education as an integral part of the healthcare community in improving patient health outcomes.

• Foster increased collaboration among certified education stakeholders in a manner of mutual support, professionalism, and respect.

• Advocate, demonstrate, and support the value of certified education.

NAMEC Annual Best Practice Awards

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 18:22:47 GMT

Dear NAMEC Colleagues:

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 20th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Monday, October 7th. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit one or two nominations. Criteria and nomination processes are included in this email. This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in Collaboration Among CE/CPD Stakeholders
Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design
Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods
Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design (On-Site or Virtual)
Best Practice in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medical Education
Brian P. Russell Exemplary CE/CPD Professional Award

CE/CPD is an industry rooted in change, a profession that calls upon our abilities to recognize and address new challenges. It requires us to utilize our intellect, our diligence, and our creativity. We believe that application of these attributes should be acknowledged. Nominations should be received no later than 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, November 10, 2024. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com. The date and time for the Awards ceremony will be announced in January, 2025. If you have questions about the awards contact Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com

Member organizations are allowed to submit a maximum of two (2) nominations per year, but each nomination must be in a different category

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

Best Regards,

Andrea Funk, CHCP
President
NAMEC

2024 NAMEC Awards Cover Sheet Final.pdf

2024 NAMEC Awards Submission Process Document Final.pdf

ACCME Learn to Thrive Opportunities

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 19:35:32 GMT

ACCME Learn to Thrive Opportunities

Join the Conversation with Learn to Thrive PLUS! A virtual gathering for the accredited CE community.

ACCME will host Learn to Thrive PLUS—a dynamic virtual gathering designed to continue and expand the vibrant conversations started at our in-person meeting in Chicago this past May, and to welcome new voices into our growing community. Registration is only $75/person for accredited providers. Visit the Events Calendar on the ACCME website for more information and to register.

Add your voice to Learn to Thrive 2025! ACCME’s Call for Proposals is now accepting submissions.

The ACCME is also inviting the CE community to contribute educational leadership to its annual meeting, which will take place at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel on April 23-25, 2025. ACCME is currently accepting proposals for Learn to Thrive 2025 for Inspire and Teach! sessions and CE research project(s). Suggestions for 2025 Working Groups will be solicited in the Fall of 2024.

Visit the Learn to Thrive 2025 website for more information about the Call for Proposals, including rules and details for submission. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

2023 NAMEC Member Survey Findings

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 30 May 2024 18:22:09 GMT

Titled "Medical Education Companies and Their Contribution to Continuing Education/Continuing Professional Development in the US", the results of this 2023 survey managed by NAMEC are now available.

Non-members - submit this short form to obtain access or click here to join NAMEC.

Members may click here to access the results (make sure you are logged in to your profile)

NAMEC Announces 2024 Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 20:19:11 GMT

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC) is pleased to announce the 2024 Board of Directors:

Officers

Andrea Funk, CHCP; President
General Manager, Global Education Group

Melissa Wiles; President-Elect
Founder and President, Iridium Continuing Education

Tricia Wilson, MS, CHCP; Secretary
Educational Activity Program Manager, Optum Health Education

The office of President consists of a 2-year term, followed by a 1-year term as Past President.

The office of President-Elect consists of a 1-year term, followed by a 2-year term as President and a 1-year term as Past President.

The office of Secretary consists of a 3-year term.

Board of Directors

Whitney Faler, MPA, CHCP
Director of Accreditation and Outcomes, Postgraduate Institute for Medicine

David Mullins, CHCP
Director of Professional Education, Paradigm Medical Communications

Meg Oliverio, MD
Associate Medical Director, Pri-Med

Alyssa Rossi
Program Manager, Iridium Continuing Education

Debi Susalka
Vice President of Business Development, Infograph-Ed

Andrea Zimmerman, EdD
Senior Director, Accreditation and Compliance, HMP Global

Kurt Boyce; Board Consultant (non-voting)
Vice President, CME & Compliance, Applied Clinical Education

NAMEC has six Directors. Each Director position carries a 3-year term. Terms are staggered to maintain Board consistency from year-to-year. New board members elected for 2024 include Whitney Faler, Alyssa Rossi and Andrea Zimmerman.

About NAMEC

The Mission of NAMEC is to:

Represent the interests of medical education companies (MECs), including advocacy for MECs and education of the professionals who work for them.

Support the advancement of certified education as an integral part of the healthcare community in improving patient health outcomes.

Foster increased collaboration among certified education stakeholders in a manner of mutual support, professionalism, and respect.

Advocate, demonstrate, and support the value of certified education.

The Goals of the association are to:

Serve as a forum for discussion of issues, challenges, and opportunities relevant to both MECs and the certified education enterprise as a whole.

Strengthen relationships among MECs and other certified education stakeholders.

Facilitate educational activities dedicated specifically to the needs of NAMEC members.

Disseminate information, publish papers and issue statements that support the continuing professional activities produced by MECs.

Represent MECs and the certified education enterprise to the media, governmental agencies, and other outside organizations.

Direct activities that elevate the best practices of the certified education enterprise.

More information about NAMEC can be found at www.namec-assn.org.

Webinar Recording Available

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 21:55:29 GMT

The webinar recorded November 8, 2023 - 10 Things I Hate About Your Outcomes Report - is now available.

View webinar recording.

See all past events.

NAMEC Annual Best Practice Awards

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 16:29:06 GMT

Dear NAMEC Colleagues:

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 19^th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Monday, October 2^nd. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit one or more nominations. Criteria and nomination processes are included in this email.

This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in Collaboration Among CE/CPD Stakeholders
Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design
Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods
Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design (On-Site or Virtual)
Best Practice in Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Medical Education
Brian P. Russell Exemplary CE/CPD Professional Award

Nominations should be received no later than 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, November 5, 2023. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com.The date and time for the Awards ceremony will be announced in January, 2024. If you have questions about the awards contact Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

2023 NAMEC Awards Cover Sheet.pdf

2023 NAMEC Awards Submission Process Document Final.pdf

Webinar: 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media CME: How To Avoid Them

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 19:25:10 GMT

Title: 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media CME: How To Avoid Them

Program Overview:

The landscape of social media in continuing medical education has changed considerably in the past several years, and with it, our collective knowledge of the many platforms that may (or may not) fit in to the medical education landscape. In this webinar, trailblazers in social media medical education will explore the seven sins that providers who implement social media activities are struggling with now - and practical strategies to reset course.

Presenters:

Allison Gardner, PhD, CHCP
Senior Vice President, Educational Strategy and Content
Med-IQ

Allison Kickel, CHCP
President and Founder
Bonum Continuing Education

Date: Thursday, April 20, 2023
Time: 12PM EST

You must register in advance! Click here to register.

NAMEC Announces 2022 Award Winners

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 18:33:48 GMT

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC), announced the winners to the 18th annual NAMEC Best Practices Awards to improve Continuing Medical Education (CME).

Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design: Global Education Group and Iridium Continuing Education for "Ushering in a New Era in the Treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease and Anemia: Appreciating The Patient Burden, Exploring Pathways and Pathogenesis, Reflecting on the New and Emerging Data"

Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design: Pri-Med Institute, LLC for "The Future of Alzheimer Disease: Early Recognition and Emerging Therapy"

Best Practice in Learner Outcomes: Medscape for "Analyzing the Real-World Impact of a Virtual Patient Simulation"

Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods: Global Education Group and Excalibur Medical Education for "Escape Room: Improving the Day-to-Day Management of Patients with Rheumatic Disease"

Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders: DKBmed and Med Learning Group for "The Saving Sight and Vision Relief Collaborative Quality Improvement Initiative"

Best Practice in CME Outside of the USA: DKBmed for "HIV Learning Lab China"

The awards were presented during the annual conference of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEHP). NAMEC appreciates all members and companies who submitted for consideration of these awards. The 2023 Best Practices awards will be requested later this year and we encourage companies that have qualifying project to consider becoming a member to be eligible to submit for an award.

About NAMEC

NAMEC is a professional association dedicated to:

• Represent the interests of medical education companies (MECs), including advocacy for MECs and education of the professionals who work for them.
• Support the advancement of certified education as an integral part of the healthcare community in improving patient health outcomes.
• Foster increased collaboration among certified education stakeholders in a manner of mutual support, professionalism, and respect.
• Advocate, demonstrate, and support the value of certified education.

For more information, visit http://www.namec-assn.org or call the NAMEC Business Office at 205-824-7612 or email info@namec-assn.org.

View PDF version of the press release

2022 Call for NAMEC Best Practice Awards

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 16:14:56 GMT

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 18^th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Monday, October 31^st. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit one or more a nominations. Criteria and nomination processes are included in this email.

This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in CE/CPD Outside of the USA (Live or Enduring)
Best Practice in Collaboration Among CE/CPD Stakeholders
Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design
Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods
Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Best Practice in Live On-Site Activity Educational Design
Best Practice in Live Virtual Activity Educational Design
Brian P. Russell Exemplary CE/CPD Professional Award

Nominations should be received no later than 11:59 PM EST on Friday, December 9, 2022. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

The date and time for the Awards ceremony will be announced in January, 2023. If you have questions about the awards contact Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

Important Reference Documents:

Awards Cover Sheet

2022 Awards Submission Process Document

Winners of the 2021 NAMEC Best Practices Awards

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 16:36:24 GMT

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC), announced the winners to the 17th annual NAMEC Best Practices Awards to improve Continuing Medical Education (CME).

The award for the NAMEC Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders went to Pri-Med Institute, LLC for “Current Issues in Obesity: Stigma, Science, and Solutions”.

The award for the NAMEC Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design went to Pri-Med Institute, LLC for “Treating More Than Just an Itch: Updates on Atopic Dermatitis for the Primary Care Provider”.

The award for the NAMEC Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods went to Medical Learning Institute, Inc for “Strategies to Improve Glucose Control with Mealtime Insulin”.

The award for the NAMEC Best Practice in Learner Outcomes went to DKBmed: Optimizing Disease Management for “Finding the Invisible Patient”.

The award for the NAMEC Best Practice in Live On-Site Activity Educational Design went to Medscape for Reaching Learners with Simulated Patient Cases.

The award for the NAMEC Best Practice in Virtual Live Activity Educational Design went to DKBmed for “STOP HIV in LGBTQ Seniors”.

NAMEC appreciates all members and companies who submitted for consideration of these awards. The 2022 Best Practices awards will be requested later this year and we encourage companies that have qualifying project to consider becoming a member to be eligible to submit for an award.

View press release

NAMEC Announces 2022 Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 21:09:53 GMT

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC) is pleased to announce the 2022 Board of Directors. The members of the 2022 board are:

Kurt Boyce, President
Andrea Funk, President-Elect
Board of Directors
- John McCormick
- David Mullins
- Meg Oliverio, MD
- Karen Overstreet, EdD, RPh, FACEHP, CHCP
- Debi Susalka
- Tricia Wilson, MS

Each director’s term is a three-year term with staggered start and end dates based on when they were elected. New board members include Meg Oliverio, Karen Overstreet, and Debi Susalka whose terms will run through January 2025.

About NAMEC

The Mission of NAMEC is to:

Represent the interests of medical education companies (MECs), including advocacy for MECs and education of the professionals who work for them.

Support the advancement of certified education as an integral part of the healthcare community in improving patient health outcomes.

Foster increased collaboration among certified education stakeholders in a manner of mutual support, professionalism, and respect.

Advocate, demonstrate, and support the value of certified education.

The Goals of the association are to:

Serve as a forum for discussion of issues, challenges, and opportunities relevant to both MECs and the certified education enterprise as a whole.

Strengthen relationships among MECs and other certified education stakeholders.

Facilitate educational activities dedicated specifically to the needs of NAMEC members.

Disseminate information, publish papers and issue statements that support the continuing professional activities produced by MECs.

Represent MECs and the certified education enterprise to the media, governmental agencies, and other outside organizations.

Direct activities that elevate the best practices of the certified education enterprise.

More information about NAMEC can be found at www.namec-assn.org.

NAMEC Live Webinar Tackling the Conundrum of Multi-Funded CME/CE

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 23:15:08 GMT

Topic:

The Why’s, Woe’s, and Windfall’s of Multi-Funded CME

Description:

Tune in to hear an esteemed panel of CME/CE professionals representing both sides of the table discuss the ins and outs of multi-funded CME.

In this virtual live webinar Riaz Baxamusa, Rachel Every, Marquetta Lewis, Audrie Tornow, and Derek Warnick will explore common questions, best practices, and forward-looking approaches to multi-funded education. Engage with the panelist and share your best practices and questions for a lively and informative session.

A complimentary educational event provided by NAMEC. Pre-registration is required.

A recording of this webcast is available to NAMEC Members - Click here

NAMEC Call for Best Practice Awards

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:44:29 GMT

November 3, 2021

Dear NAMEC Colleagues:

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 17^th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Wednesday, November 3rd. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit one or more a nominations. Criteria and nomination processes are included in this release.

This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in CME Outside of the USA (Live or Enduring)
Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders
Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design
Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods
Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Best Practice in Live On-Site Activity Educational Design
Best Practice in Live Virtual Activity Educational Design
Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award

Nominations should be received no later than 11:59 PM EST on Monday, December 6, 2021. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

The date and time for the Awards ceremony will be announced in January, 2022. If you have questions about the awards contact Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

Best Regards,

Kurt J. Boyce

President

NAMEC

2021 Awards Submission Process Document.pdf

2021 NAMEC Awards Cover Sheet.pdf

View NAMEC Webcast Recording

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 16:50:44 GMT

Covid Round II (Delta Variant) Impact on Live/Virtual Education

A recording of this webcast is available to NAMEC Members - Click here

ACCME 2022 Call for Proposals

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 16:36:07 GMT

Contribute your educational leadership to the ACCME 2022 Meeting. ACCME is accepting proposals for its April 26-28, 2022 annual meeting, which will take place as a hybrid event—both in-person at the Sheraton Chicago as well as online. Opportunities include proposing an “Inspire and Teach” breakout session(s) for either the live or virtual audience, sharing a CME research project(s), or proposing a working group to tackle a challenge for CE professionals. Visit the ACCME’s website for more information, including rules and details for submission. The deadline for submissions is Friday, November 5, 2021.

Call for Best Practices

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 14:04:37 GMT

Are you working on innovative projects, true successes, or even glorious failures in the area of lifelong learning in healthcare? If so, join us at the 2021 GAME #FuturistForum and share your journey with us! Submission deadline is Monday, April 19th! To learn more visit: https://www.gamefuturistforum.com/innovation-lab-call-for-abstracts

NAMEC announces the winners of the 2020 Best Practices in CME Awards

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 15:24:02 GMT

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC), announced the winners to the 14th annual NAMEC Best Practices Awards to improve Continuing Medical Education (CME).

NAMEC Best Practice in Virtual Live Activity Educational Design was presented to Pri-Med Institute for “PrimaryCareNOW”.

NAMEC Best Practice in Learner Outcomes was presented to the Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning for “Personalizing Outcomes Measures to Effectively Assess Impact of Medical Education”.

NAMEC Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders was presented to Medscape Education for “Optimizing Rare Disease Education: Bringing Together Multiple Stakeholders During the COVID-19 Pandemic”.

NAMEC Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods was presented to Pri-Med Institute for “Highs & Lows: Opportunities and Benefits of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Primary Care (An Adaptive Learning Experience)”

NAMEC Best Practice in CME Outside of the USA was presented to the Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning for “Classroom to Clinic™ Localized Small Group Learning for HCPs Working in Oncology” and to CME Outfitters for “Real-World Evidence: CDK 4/6 Inhibitors in Hormone Receptor-Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer”.

Finally, the NAMEC Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award was presented to Katie Lucero, PhD, Medscape Education.

NAMEC appreciates all members and companies who submitted for consideration of these awards. The 2021 Best Practices awards will be requested later this year and we encourage companies that have qualifying project to consider becoming a member to be eligible to submit for an award.

ACCME Standards

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 16:42:14 GMT

ACCME has announced new Standards for Integrity and Independence for Accredited Continuing Medical Education. You can access details surrounding these new standards at the ACCME website:

https://accme.org/accreditation-rules/standards-for-integrity-independence-accredited-ce

ACCME Call for Submissions

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 20 Nov 2020 15:18:57 GMT

Contribute your educational leadership to the ACCME 2021 Meeting: Embracing Change. ACCME is soliciting proposals for its April 27-29, 2021 virtual meeting. Submissions may include “Inspire and Teach” sessions, research projects, and a novel longitudinal learning offering – “Better Together Working Groups”. Visit www.accme.org for more information, including rules and details for submission and an informational webinar. The deadline for submissions is Friday, December 11, 2020.

Pri-Med Develops Bridging the Gap Program

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 14:54:05 GMT

Pri-Med, a leader in continuing medical education, is pleased to announce the development of a new CME web series, Bridging the Gap: Conversations with Dr. Hall, that focuses on evidence-based strategies to improve clinical care in African Americans. The monthly episodes, hosted by Gregory L. Hall, MD, continue to draw interest and accolades from primary care audiences nationwide. Read more about this initiative.

2020 NAMEC Awards Announcement

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 20:12:37 GMT

Dear NAMEC Colleagues:

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 16th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Monday, November 2nd. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit a nomination in each of the competitive categories. Criteria and nomination processes are included in this email. (non-members may join to be eligible - click here)

This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in Virtual Live Activity Educational Design

Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design

Best Practice in CME Outside of the USA (Live or Enduring)

Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders

Best Practice in Learner Outcomes

Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods

Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award

CME is an industry rooted in change, a profession that calls upon our abilities to recognize and address new challenges. It requires us to utilize our intellect, our diligence, and our creativity. We believe that each of these elements should be acknowledged.

All nominations should be received no later than 11:59 PM EST on Friday, December 13, 2020. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

The date and time for the Awards ceremony will be announced at a later date.

If you have questions about the awards contact Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com or Rich Keenan at rkeenan@achlcme.org.

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

Best Regards,

NAMEC Awards Committee

Attachments:

2020 NAMEC Awards Cover Sheet

2020 Awards Submission Process Document

CME Research

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 15:21:57 GMT

Study: Chinese physician perceptions regarding industry support of continuing medical education programs: a cross-sectional survey Link to article - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31747854/

Social Distancing and Virtual Medical Education

NAMEC Staff — Sat, 11 Jul 2020 15:06:23 GMT

Obviously, in the age of COVID-19, the continued transition of continuing medical education to online and virtual formats has been accelerated.

NAMEC members can post and share in our member forum strategies that have worked - or not worked - for your businesses. Non-members can join immediately online and join in the discussion. Membership is open to individuals with an interest in the field, or for institutions that agree with the NAMEC mission of representing the interests of medical education companies (MECs), including advocacy for MECs and education of the professionals who work for them; supporting the advancement of certified education as an integral part of the healthcare community in improving patient health outcomes; fostering increased collaboration among certified education stakeholders in a manner of mutual support, professionalism, and respect; and advocating, demonstrating, and supporting the value of certified education.

A recent article at News Medical notes:

"Most states in the United States allow up to 25% of clinical hours to be simulation-based and some states permit over 50%. Numerous organizations have already looked to online education for training regarding COVID-19, and a number of them are now transitioning to online platforms for other training needs."

NAMEC has also partnered with PGI to help organizations effectively enhance their online and virtual presence.

RFPs for Members

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 14:44:24 GMT

NAMEC is now sharing RFPs for medical education grants only to members. Visit the Pharma Grants page to see the latest updates. If you are not a member, RFPs are one of the many benefits of membership - join today!

COVID-19 Clinician Resources

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 26 May 2020 15:27:46 GMT

The ACCME has posted a page that includes a searchable database of accredited continuing education (CE) activities and additional resources that can help the CE provider and clinician community respond to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency. We encourage accredited providers to circulate this link to their CE learners and community.

https://www.accme.org/resources-category/novel-coronavirus-education

Coalition for Physician Accountability releases statement about health care during COVID-19 Pandemic

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 12 May 2020 16:19:17 GMT

The Coalition for Physician Accountability releases statement about health care during COVID-19 Pandemic. The Coalition, comprised of members including the national organizations responsible for the accreditation, assessment, licensure and certification of physicians throughout their medical career, from medical school through practice as well as members of the public and the profession, including the ACCME.

The statement calls for protecting the public as well as the health care workforce, and pledge for members to work together "to provide our elected leaders with the information they need to support sound, evidence-based decision-making".

The entire statement can be found here.

Notice of Upcoming PCORI Funding Announcement

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 04 May 2020 14:51:50 GMT

Notice of Upcoming PCORI Funding Announcement (PFA)

In order to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, PCORI will issue a new research funding announcement with an accelerated timeline to support innovative, high-impact studies that fit clearly within our core mission of patient-engaged and patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research.

Applicants should be prepared to work independently and/or with PCORI to expedite dissemination of results.

Please note that this funding announcement follows an expedited timeline. Applications are due three weeks following the posting of the PFA. We encourage applicants to begin working on all components of the proposal, including a detailed budget, as soon as possible.

This PFA preannouncement is provided to allow potential applicants additional time to identify collaborators, obtain stakeholder input on the research question(s), and develop responsive, high-quality proposals. Further details will be available in the full announcement to be released on May 5, 2020.

Click here for more information on submitting for funding.

NACE Awarded Accreditation with Commendation by ACCME

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 19:08:50 GMT

The National Association for Continuing Education (NACE), a part of Haymarket Media, Inc., and a member of NAMEC, has been reviewed by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) and awarded Accreditation with Commendation for six years as a provider of continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. This is the highest level of accreditation awarded by the ACCME.

Accreditation in the ACCME system seeks to assure the medical community and the public that NACE delivers education that is relevant to clinicians’ needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness and independent of commercial influence.

In order to achieve accreditation, providers must participate in a rigorous process demonstrating that activities are developed in accordance with 13 ACCME criteria and the standards for commercial support. The designation of accreditation with commendation further pushes providers to achieve an additional 8 criteria that advance interprofessional collaborative practice, address public health priorities, create behavioral change, show leadership, leverage educational technology and demonstrate the impact of education on healthcare professionals and patients.

“This is quite an accomplishment and a testament to our innovative and driven team,” said Michelle Frisch, Vice President, Operations. “It is our mission to provide education that has a meaningful impact on the clinicians we serve and improves the health and safety of their patients. We are proud to be recognized for our work and look forward to developing additional CME resources for our learners.”

For more information regarding NACE or to register for current CME activities, please visit: naceonline.com.

NAMEC Announces Election Results For Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 17:49:15 GMT

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC) today announced election results for its 2020 Board of Directors. The new officers and board members will serve three year terms through the annual meeting in 2023.

New NAMEC Board of Directors members are President Elect Kurt Boyce, Secretary Tricia Wilson, Board member Mike Kearney, Board member John McCormick, and Board member Andrea Funk.

Congratulations to these well deserved officers for their commitment and service to the profession.

A Message from our Partner PGi

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 16:02:14 GMT

With the outbreak of the coronavirus appearing like a more serious public health risk every day, more and more Companies & Organizations are choosing to cancel On-Site Symposiums, Lectures, Annual Events & Conferences while encouraging employees & clients to stay home.

As a result, companies are looking for ways to connect & collaborate with employees, organization members & clients that don’t require travel.

Recently, several leaders in the web and video conferencing market have stepped up to expand their meeting services offerings to help keep people working during the outbreak. PGi, a 25+ year leader in Conferencing & Collaboration is one of them. We do these types of events every day/ all day. With our event professionals, features/functionality & reporting. We give you every tool you need for a flawless event. We can Pre-Record your content with live Q&A or offer a Fully Live Experience without the logistics or fear(s) of Travel. Want Video – you got it!!

· GlobalMeet Webcast Re-Introduction: https://youtu.be/zeFkAEI4hYg

Some of the key features of the GlobalMeet Webcast platform:

Fully brandable solutions – conduct your live or on-demand presentation with slides synchronized to your audio and video, all within a branded viewer experience.

Mobile Compatibility – Your viewers can watch the presentation from any mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android Devices) all from the same link.

Easy 5 step event creation process allows you to create events quickly and easily.

Robust reporting and interactive features – customized reporting, Q&A, polling and social media; receive vital information about your audience and their viewing experience.

Live and archived webcasts – delivered seamlessly to desktops, tablets and mobile devices. Events are archived automatically and are exact representations of the live event.

Service Level Options – From fully managed to our self-service platform, Convey empowers you to create and run events at your convenience, without the hassle of downloads.

We would love to chat with you about making your Live On-Site Events as impactful, insightful & inspirational as possible (if not more so) with PGi’s Webcasting Platform. This is a great way to disseminate your message & content without the fear or inconvenience of Travel during these trying times.

Please let me know if this is at least worth having a brief chat about. As a NAMEC Member, we offer considerable discounts.

Regards,

Jim

James Cos
PGi
203-743-6533
James.cos@pgi.com

NACE's 2020 Conversations in Primary Care

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:02:25 GMT

NAMEC Member, the National Association for Continuing Education (NACE), announces the 2020 Conversations in Primary Care season that kicked off on Saturday, February 8, 2020 with a record number of live attendees.

Over 1,000 primary care clinicians joined NACE online for the first of 9 virtual CME activities entitled “Conversations in” planned this year. Attendees were actively engaged with the program, responding to more than 300 audience questions, over 26,000 pre- and post- test responses and nearly 3,200 total downloads of program resources.

“This program featured an outstanding faculty presenting diverse, clinically important data that included topics on Statin Intolerance, C. Difficile Colitis, Psoriasis and Diabetes,” said Gregg Sherman, MD, Chief Medical Officer. “The audience was very engaged throughout the program with many questions and live phone calls. We received excellent feedback from learners on the program who really appreciate the format.”

Utilizing the ON24 engagement platform, attendees achieved an average engagement score of 8.2/10, more than double the CE benchmark score of 4.0. ON24 is the streaming provider for the “Conversations in” series.

“This is our fourth year presenting the Conversations in Primary Care series, and each year we see positive audience growth,” said Stephen Webber, VP, Business Development & Strategy, and Producer of the “Conversations in” CME activities. “Surpassing 1,000 very engaged participants is a very important milestone that we have been working towards for the past three years, and the extensive live production capabilities and expertise at Broadcast Beat Studios positions us to continue to grow our live audience and maintain high engagement with the audience.”

The next Conversations in Primary Care will be held on March 14, 2020. For more information or to sign up to attend, please visit: naceonline.com.

Reminder: ACCME Call for Comment Due

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 16:43:12 GMT

Dear Colleague,

This is a reminder that ACCME has issued a call for comment on the recently proposed revised Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. We encourage each NAMEC member organization to respond so that the concerns of MECs can be heard on this important issue. The proposed changes can be found here:ACCME proposed changes & Call for Comment Information Package. The survey for submitting responses can be found here: https://web.cvent.com/survey/b94a9d54-8d19-44f8-9558-dddaded0e874/questions?r=5a60990a-303d-4601-84a7-d107e84d3c2a

Responses are due by 5:00 PM CST on Friday, February 21.

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 17:40:33 GMT

Please note: The deadline for submission is March 6, 2020

This is a call for nominations to fill open seats on the NAMEC Board of Directors. Candidates should indicate which position they are running for in their nomination submission:

3 Director positions (two 3-year terms and one 2-year term)
1 Secretary position (3-year term)
President-Elect (1-year term, plus 2-year term as President)

Duties of Directors

Directors must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (usually held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Directors must be willing to Chair standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Directors should also be willing to serve as an officer of the organization (officers are elected by the membership from the members of the Board)

Duties of Secretary

The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining records of NAMEC business and NAMEC Board of Director meetings
The Secretary will be responsible for overseeing the NAMEC Board of Directors and Officers election process
The Secretary will be responsible for overseeing the Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards process
The Secretary must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (usually held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Nominees for Secretary must be drawn from the current NAMEC Board of Directors and Officers

Duties of President-Elect

The President-Elect will serve as a liaison between the NAMEC Board of Directors/Officers and NAMEC Committee Chairpersons
The President-Elect will identify and recruit individuals to serve as Committee Chairpersons and Committee members
In the absence or disability of the President, the duties of that office shall be performed by the President-Elect
The President-Elect must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (usually held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
The President-Elect must be willing to serve a 3-year term (1-year term as President-Elect followed by 2-year term as President)
Nominees for President-Elect must be drawn from the current NAMEC Board of Directors and Officers

Qualifications of Nominees

Those nominated should be employed by a NAMEC member organization in good standing and have at least 3 years experience in the CME industry
All nominees should possess leadership ability, a high degree of personal and professional integrity, and the ability to recruit members to the organization and volunteers to support our activities
In addition, the organization encourages individuals with one or more of the following characteristics, which have been identified as critical skills/qualifications for Board members:

Familiarity with changes in healthcare and medical education, particularly the role of CME in improving the quality and safety of patient care

CME regulatory expertise

Experience related to MEC public relations and/or advocacy

Strong skills in business, marketing, and/or communications

Knowledge of adult education principles

Nomination and Election Process

To be eligible for nomination, candidates must be members of organizations that meet the definition of “full voting”
Any representative of a “full voting” organization may make a nomination, including a self-nomination.
Candidates must submit the following information to the NAMEC Business Office, info@NAMEC-assn.org by March 6, 2020

A biographical sketch of no more than 350 words

A “statement of philosophy” pertinent to the goals and mission of the organization of no more than 350 words

The Nomination and Elections Committee will review the submissions, prepare the slate of candidates, and email a ballot to the “primary” member of each “full voting” organization.
All ballots (1 from each member organization) must be cast on or before March 20, 2020
The results of the election will be announced on March 23, 2020

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics statement

As a member of the NAMEC Board of Directors I will:

Ensure that my fiduciary duty to NAMEC is the foundation for all of my actions as a Board member
Represent the interests of all members served by NAMEC
Refrain from using my service on the NAMEC Board primarily for my own personal advantage
Keep confidential any information so designated by the Board of Directors
Approach all Board issues with an open mind, listen respectfully to the opinions of my Board colleagues, and make decisions based on the best interests of NAMEC and its members
Act with the authority of NAMEC only when such authority is delegated to me by the Board or the bylaws
Sign or e-mail an agreement attesting to this policy

All interested candidates should forward their biographical sketch and statement of philosophy to the NAMEC Business Office by March 6, 2020.

Email: info@NAMEC-assn.org

Website: http://www.NAMEC-assn.org

If you have questions regarding the nominations process or the duties of Officers and Directors, please contact Rich Keenan at rkeenan@achlcme.org or Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

Haymarket Medical Education Receives Interprofessional Joint Accreditation for the Healthcare Team

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 15:48:51 GMT

Congratulations to NAMEC Member Haymarket Medical Education for been accredited as a provider of interprofessional continuing education (IPCE) by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nursing Credentialing Center (ANCC).

IPCE accreditation seeks to assure health professionals and the public that continuing education activities provided by HME meet the high standards of the Criteria for Accreditation and the Standards for Commercial Support of the Joint Accreditation Agency, the ACCME, the ACPE and the ANCC.

Read the full press release for more details about this tremendous accomplishment.

ACCME 2020 Meeting: Driving Change

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 17:17:06 GMT

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) is pleased to announce that registration for the ACCME 2020 Meeting: Driving Change is now open!

Next Stop: Chicago! Buckle up and get ready to discover new skills and practical strategies that will fuel your journey of educational leadership in accredited continuing medical education (CME). Here's what you can look forward to at the ACCME 2020 Meeting:

• Get inspired for the road ahead with Keynote sessions on educational leadership, teaming, and health equity.

• Plot a strategic educational plan to advance the impact of your CME program as an organizational change-engine.

• Share your CME Story... and make connections with colleagues who are sharing their experiences.

• Discover ways to foster wellness and meaning for your learners and your education team.

• Connect best practices in Learning Science to your CME planning.

• Find new routes to accelerating your CME with insights from fellow educators, researchers, public health leaders, and patient-partners.

For more information about the ACCME 2020 Meeting or to register, visit www.accmemeeting.org .

Discounted Early Bird registration fees are available until midnight on Friday, January 24, 2020.

Free Webinar: how to use webcast technology for CME events

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 14:00:09 GMT

NAMEC and PGi hosted a free webinar December 17, 2019 at 1:00 pm Eastern (12:00 noon Central) to display how to use webcast technology for CME events. The session included representatives from PGi and NAMEC Board member Tricia Wilson from OptumHealth Education.

If you missed the webinar, a recorded version is available at this link.

Is it fair to ask that the mission of CME evolves to include figuring out how to help our patients afford the amazing treatments we learn about?

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 12 Dec 2019 15:54:28 GMT

An AAFP blog post titled "How Much Will This Cost, Doc?" covers a primary care physician's experience at a CME event where she describes feeling frustrated in not being able to use the knowledge gained:

But if continuing medical education is supposed to help us help our patients, is it fair to ask that the mission of CME evolves to include figuring out how to help our patients afford the amazing treatments we learn about?

Read the entire article here.

ACCME Releases New Report to Advance Patient Engagement in CME

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 16:25:23 GMT

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) released Learning Together: Engaging Patients as Partners in Accredited Continuing Medical Education — Report from the ACCME 2019 Meeting. The report offers educators strategies and tips for engaging patients as partners in planning and teaching continuing medical education (CME). Through their participation, patients can increase the meaning, relevance, and effectiveness of CME and contribute to improving care for patients and communities.

Highlights from Learning Together

The report summarizes the Learning Together track held at the ACCME 2019 Annual Meeting, including strategies for designing patient-centered research, collaborating with patients in CME, and faculty development for patients and educators. Patient-partners participated in the Learning Together track as planners and faculty, and their perspective is woven throughout the report.

Learning Together: Engaging Patients as Partners in Accredited Continuing Medical Education includes:

Reflections from a patient-partner
Tips for developing a patient inclusion action plan
Case study: Building a patient-partner continuing education planning committee
Patient-partner readiness checklist
Seven key recommendations

Coming Soon

An online course, “Learning Together with Patient-Partners in CME,” will be available soon on the ACCME website. Using a narrative case study, the course explores how patient-partners contribute to CME and provides strategies for integrating patient-partners into the planning and delivery of CME.

Rewarding Patient Engagement in CME

The Learning Together initiative builds on ACCME’s efforts to support the inclusion of patients in CME for clinicians and teams. In its Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation, the ACCME includes a criterion that recognizes accredited organizations that incorporate patients as planners and faculty in educational programming. This criterion is included because accredited CME is enhanced when it incorporates the interests of the people who are served by the healthcare system.

Leadership Comments

“As a patient advocate, I have encouraged patient involvement in as many areas as possible, including medical education and research. This report will help CME providers take that first step forward and do what they can today to engage patient-partners in CME. I am so proud of the work we’ve done together, and I look forward to seeing where we go from here."—Melissa Hicks, Patient-Partner, ACCME; Stanford Medicine X; Member, Advisory Panel for Clinical Effectiveness and Decision Science, PCORI

"We celebrate the participation of our patient-partners in our Learning Together initiative. By sharing their expertise and perspectives, they make invaluable contributions to our community of educators. In my experience as a clinician, educator, and learner, I’ve found that patients can be our best teachers. Patient inclusion in CME can engage clinicians’ hearts as well as minds and reinforce the reasons why our work matters. Together we can create a CME community that not only aims to support clinicians in delivering optimal healthcare for all—but strives toward that goal with patients as partners." —Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME 

Download the report here: www.accme.org/learning-together

More Resources

Patient Involvement in CME: This webpage includes tips and tools about including patients as planners and faculty in education for clinicians and teams

Coffee with Graham: in this podcast, Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME, discusses ways that educators can engage patients in CME.

PCORI Award

Learning Together: Engaging Patients in Professional Development of Physicians and Healthcare Teams,” is part of a portfolio of projects that PCORI has funded to help develop a community of patients and other stakeholders equipped to participate as partners in comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and disseminate PCORI-funded study results. Through the Engagement Award Program, PCORI is creating an expansive network of individuals, communities and organizations interested in and able to participate in, share, and use patient-centered CER.

The ACCME project and the other projects approved for funding by the PCORI Engagement Award Program were selected through a highly competitive review process in which applications were assessed for their ability to meet PCORI’s engagement goals and objectives, as well as program criteria.

PCORI

PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 to fund comparative effectiveness research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence needed to make better-informed health and healthcare decisions. PCORI is committed to seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work.

ACCME

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, responsible for accrediting organizations that offer continuing medical education (CME) and for recognizing state medical societies as accreditors of local CME programs. The ACCME is a cofounder of Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™.

The ACCME sets standards for CME that reflect the values of the educator community and aim to accelerate learning, inspire change, and champion improvement in healthcare. These standards ensure that accredited CME is designed to be relevant to clinicians’ needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness, and independent of commercial influence. Through participation in accredited CME, clinicians and teams drive improvement in their practice and optimize the care, health, and wellness of their patients.

Accredited CME facilitates engagement with physicians and healthcare teams where they live, learn, and work. There are approximately 1,700 accredited CME providers within the ACCME System, across the country and internationally, representing a range of organizations including medical schools, hospitals/health systems, government/military agencies, specialty societies, and insurance/managed-care companies. Accredited providers offer about 180,000 activities each year, comprising more than one million hours of instruction and including more than 36 million interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals.

For more information, visit www.accme.org.

Do we need better training for doctors to connect food and health?

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 19:38:02 GMT

"Our diets are killing us and doctors aren't trained to help" is the title of an opinion piece that appeared recently on The Hill.

...by helping physicians understand the connection between food and health, we can produce better individual patient outcomes, improve population health, and change our nation’s health-care landscape for the better.

The authors claim the entire spectrum of medical education fails to address the links between the food we eat and the health problems of Americans. View the article here.

ACCME seeking nominees to bring public perspective to Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 17:24:22 GMT

The following is an ACCME press release we are sharing for NAMEC members or visitors that may be interested in furthering this message.

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME^®) is seeking nominees interested in serving as one of two public directors on its 20-member Board of Directors. ACCME's mission is to assure and advance quality learning for healthcare professionals that drives improvements in patient care. The ACCME fulfills its mission through a voluntary self-regulated system for accrediting CME providers and a peer-review process responsive to changes in medical education and the health care delivery system.

In addition to two public directors, the ACCME Board is composed of two nominees from each of ACCME’s seven member organizations (listed below), two directors affiliated with ACCME Recognized Accreditors (state/territory medical societies approved as accreditors for local organizations offering CME), and two non-voting representatives from the government. The ACCME member organizations are the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Association for Hospital Medical Education, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States.

ACCME Expectations of Directors

Directors representing the public have the same rights and responsibilities as all directors. They are full voting members of the Board of ACCME. It is a director’s duty to administer the corporate affairs for the benefit of the ACCME, and it is expected that each director acts upon an informed basis, in good faith, and in the honest belief that the action was taken in the best interest of the ACCME.

Because the ACCME believes strongly that its public directors bring an important perspective to the work of our Board, they are charged with monitoring all Board and committee discussions to facilitate the identification of potential conflicts of interest that might arise. In addition, the senior public member serves as chair of the compensation committee.

Time Commitments

Time commitments include participation in three (1½ day) Board meetings per year and some Board committee or task force work between meetings, usually via conference call or email.

Eligibility

Please consider forwarding the name(s) of individual(s) who you think might serve the ACCME well. According to the Protocol for the Selection of the Public Representative to the ACCME:

The nominee should by virtue of education and public service possess special qualifications for bringing a “public” perspective to the process of evaluating programs of continuing medical education. The nominee might be qualified, for example, by experience as a hospital trustee, trustee of a health delivery system, a former government official in a role related to health or health education, a university administrator, a member of the news media with a particular expertise in health education or science.

In order to ensure the requisite impartiality to represent the public at large, members of the medical profession, persons otherwise eligible for selection as professional members, and anyone else who might be considered as sharing in the special interests of institutions or organizations being evaluated, shall be ineligible for service as public members.

Deadline

Nominations must be received by the ACCME no later than May 1, 2020. Nominations should include a curriculum vitae and a brief letter of nomination, and should be emailed to dpayne@accme.org.

Questions

Questions may be directed to ACCME’s Manager of Governance and External Relations, Debbie Payne, MA, CAE, at dpayne@accme.org.

Media inquiries

Tamar Hosansky
312-245-4066
thosansky@accme.org

Other inquiries

info@accme.org

ACCME

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME^®) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, responsible for accrediting organizations that offer continuing medical education (CME) and for recognizing state medical societies as accreditors of local CME programs. The ACCME is a cofounder of Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™.

The ACCME sets standards for CME that reflect the values of the educator community and aim to accelerate learning, inspire change, and champion improvement in healthcare. These standards ensure that accredited CME is designed to be relevant to clinicians’ needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness, and independent of commercial influence. Through participation in accredited CME, clinicians and teams drive improvement in their practice and optimize the care, health, and wellness of their patients.

Accredited CME facilitates engagement with physicians and healthcare teams where they live, learn, and work. There are approximately 1,700 accredited CME providers within the ACCME System, across the country and internationally, representing a range of organizations including medical schools, hospitals/health systems, government/military agencies, specialty societies, and insurance/managed-care companies. Accredited providers offer about 180,000 activities each year, comprising more than one million hours of instruction and including more than 36 million interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals.

CME in the News: California Bias Mandate; MOC changes and controversy

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 17:42:19 GMT

Two recent news articles may spark your interest:

First, "California to mandate implicit bias training as part of continuing medical education". A bill passed September 12th, and was later signed by the Governor, calling for this mandatory bias training for physicians. Continued education for physicians, surgeons, nurses and physician assistants must include courses on implicit bias. The bill will require the Board of Registered Nursing and the Physician Assistant Board to adopt regulations requiring implicit bias training by January 1, 2022. The text of the bill can be found online.

Another topic of interest is Maintenance of Certification (MOC). Medical Economics covered a recap of much of the controversy surrounding this issue including MOC's relationship with CME and ABIM changes to try to appease concerns. Physician groups have raised over $290,000 to fund lawsuits against certain components of MOC. Link to the article.

NAMEC Announces Call for 2019 Best Practice Awards

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 21 Oct 2019 14:44:50 GMT

October 21, 2019

Dear NAMEC Colleagues:

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 15th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Monday, October 28th. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit a nomination in each of the competitive categories. Criteria and nomination processes are included below.

This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design
Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design
Best Practice in CME Outside of the USA (Live or Enduring)
Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders
Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods
Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award

CME is an industry rooted in change, a profession that calls upon our abilities to recognize and address new challenges. It requires us to utilize our intellect, our diligence, and our creativity. We believe that each of these elements should be acknowledged.

All nominations should be received no later than 11:59 PM EST on Friday, December 6, 2019. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

Recipients will have the opportunity to discuss their activities during the NAMEC Annual Meeting, to be held during the ACEHP Conference in San Francisco, California January 8-11, 2020. The date and time for the Awards ceremony will be announced at a later date.

If you have questions about the awards contact Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com or Rich Keenan at rkeenan@achlcme.org.

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

Best Regards,

NAMEC Awards Committee

Submission Forms and Additional Information:

2019 NAMEC Awards Cover Sheet.pdf

2019 NAMEC Awards Cover Sheet.doc

2019 Awards Submission Process Document.pdf

2019 Awards Submission Process Document.doc

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) for continuing medical education – why and how?

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 16:52:50 GMT

A new article has been published titled "Massive open online courses (MOOCs) for continuing medical education – why and how?". The abstract text can be found below.

Abstract: Continuing medical education (CME) is meant to not only improve clinicians’ knowledge and skills but also lead to better patient care processes and outcomes. The delivery of CME should be able to encourage the health providers to accept new evidence-based practices, and discard or discontinue less effective care. However, continuing use of expensive yet least effective and inappropriate tools and techniques predominates for CME delivery. Hence, the evidence shows a disconnect between evidence-based recommendations and real-world practice – borne out by less than optimal patient outcomes or treatment targets not being met especially in low- to middle-income countries. There is an ethical and professional obligation on CME-providers and decision-makers to safeguard that CME interventions are appraised not only for their quality and effectiveness but also for cost-effectiveness. The process of learning needs to be engaging, convenient, user-friendly and of minimal cost, especially where it is most needed. Today’s technology permits these characteristics to be integrated, along with further enhancement of the engagement process. We review the literature on the mechanics of CME learning that utilizes today’s technology tools and propose a framework for more engaging, efficient and cost-effective approach that implements massive open online courses for CME, adapted for the twenty-first century.

If you would like to see the entire article it can be found here.

Astute Organizations Remain Curious About Technology

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 14:26:16 GMT

I was eager to share observations in advance of October’s Digital Transformation EXPO Europe 2019 about technology and how it has revolutionized the way people and companies operate.

It is an understatement to say technology has transformed the world as we know it. Smart organizations remain curious about finding new ways to leverage technology to drive results both internally and externally.

These technological-driven changes have significantly altered perceptions and expectations of both the “work experience” and the “customer experience.” This evolution has brought us to the cusp of new experiences supported by new and emerging technologies. With this shift, organizations must contemplate what technologies will have the most significant impact on both their businesses and their teams. Then, they must determine how to use these technologies to elevate enterprise communication effectively and drive results.

The emergence of the mobile workforce has required organizations to revisit their structures and implement new systems. These systems must support working anytime and from anywhere as mobile working is more the norm than the exception. And employees need to collaborate with their teams no matter where they are.

Concurrently, advanced solutions, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, mobile interactions and live streaming, are helping to elevate communication and digital interactions to be more intelligent, seamless and even more human. This is particularly important for customer-facing implementations. Customers want communication to be immediate and contextual. They will judge businesses on their inability to meet this golden rule.

Technology is no longer a buzzword: By tapping into the latest technology, organizations can more efficiently and more confidently navigate the ever-expanding number of digital channels and touch points while creating contextual and enjoyable experiences for everyone.

Article submitted by Mark Robert, PGi’s CMO.

View additional PGi Materials on Webcasts, Meetings, Event Services, Webinars, and VRC

Contact PGi about NAMEC member pricing.

Submission Deadline Approaching for ACCME 2020 Meeting

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 12:55:53 GMT

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) has invited NAMEC members to share with your colleagues how your CME Program is transforming practice and care at the ACCME 2020 Meeting. A Call for Proposals is open and accepting the following submission types:

· Share Your CME Story

· Inspire & Teach: Propose a Session

· CME Effectiveness & Best Practices: Engaging in CME Research

Go to www.accmemeeting.org for more information, including a downloadable ACCME 2020 Meeting Call for Proposals Information Sheet with the rules and details for submission, as well as a recording of the ACCME’s July 10th Informational Webinar. 

The deadline for submissions is midnight on Friday, September 13, 2019.

New Certification Process for American Board of Internal Medicine

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 06 Sep 2019 20:21:19 GMT

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is preparing a new assessment option as part of their maintenance of certification (MOC) process.

The new option will allow physicians to take more frequent but shorter tests online. The ABIM is terming this the "longitudinal assessment option for Maintenance of Certification (MOC)".

The goal of this change is to respond to feedback from physicians that the MOC process be more flexible with more choices to retain the certification. The traditional (aka long-form) assessment remains an option.

Defined by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) as "Longitudinal assessment draws on the principles of adult learning combined with modern technology to promote learning, retention, and transfer of information. These approaches involve administering shorter assessments of specific content, such as medical knowledge, repeatedly over a period of time. Through a recurring examination process, concepts and information are reinforced so that knowledge is retained and accumulated gradually. Knowledge gained in this fashion can be more readily retrieved and applied to various situations."

Fiercehealthcare.com reports:

"The MOC process has been controversial among doctors. One survey last year found 65% of physicians said MOC adds no clinical value to the practice of medicine. Almost 55% of respondents said they want to see those controversial MOC requirements revoked, while 48.5% said they would prefer more continuing medical education hours to replace the current MOC recertification process."

You can view ABIM's letter to members here that appears to be their attempt to counter this dissatisfaction.

Does the Future of Medical Education look like Netflix?

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 16:17:29 GMT

We came across an article comparing Netflix to current advances in medical education. Specifically, according to the article found at medgadget.com [link], they were discussing the GIBLIB company's online streaming platform for medical education. GIBLIB uses 360 degree virtual reality video content.

"GIBLIB recently announced a partnership with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to deliver the first ever Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited course filmed exclusively in 360-degree virtual reality."

This article is very specific to this one company, and doubtless there are other companies doing similar work. But it is always good to monitor what the competition is doing and to be prepared to respond.

NAMEC 2018 Best Practices Award Winners

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 14:27:12 GMT

CME is an industry rooted in change, a profession that calls upon our abilities to recognize and address new challenges. It requires us to utilize our intellect, our diligence, and our creativity. NAMEC believes that each of these elements should be acknowledged. NAMEC congratulates the 2018 award winners for Best Practices in CME. The recipients were recognized at the NAMEC Annual Meeting, held during the ACEHP Conference January 23 – 26, 2019, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.

NAMEC Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design: pmiCME for "Curriculum Learning through a ConnectED CME/CE Series"

NAMEC Best Practice in Learner Outcomes: Projects in Knowledge for "Rheumatoid Arthritis @Point of Care"

NAMEC Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design: Paradigm Medical Communications for "Paving a Path to Relief of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Idiopathic Constipation: Live Patient Simulations Demonstrating Innovations in Diagnosis and Treatment"

NAMEC Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods: CME Outfitters for "HBV is Not a Game: Or Is It? Optimizing Your Approach to HBV Management"

NAMEC Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods: Global Education Group for "Advanced Trauma Training"

NAMEC Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders: Global Education Group for "Overactive Bladder: Adopting a Patient-Centered Approach to Improve Outcomes and Quality of Life—The OAB Learning Center"

NAMEC Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award: Phil Talamo, CHCP

NAMEC appreciates all members and companies who submitted for consideration of these awards. The 2019 Best Practices awards will be requested later this year and we encourage your company to become a member if there is a project you feel could be an award winner.

MIPS Quality Scores Available for Public Viewing

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 30 Aug 2019 13:21:39 GMT

MIPS scores from 2017 are now publicly available. Anyone who looks these scores up can now see how well a particular physician/practice did.

What is MIPS? A quick reminder that MIPS stands for "Merit-based Incentive Payment System" - which streamlines into one payment program Medicare Part B providers to a performance-based payment system which were formerly found in three different programs.

If a physician treating Medicare Part B patients did not participate in MIPS, their reimbursements are subject to a decreased rate.

An easy to use publicly available tool to find physician MIPS scores can be found here.

Beginner CME for MOC: Ask Your Questions Webinar

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 14:51:36 GMT

Beginner CME for MOC: Ask Your Questions Webinar,

September 24, 2019
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (CT)

This interactive webinar is for those that have not yet offered CME for MOC or have just offered a couple of activities. Bring your questions about planning or reporting CME that Counts for MOC to ACCME staff for answers and guidance. To register for this webinar, please click on this link.

Call for papers for the ACCME 2020 Meeting

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 20 Aug 2019 20:50:41 GMT

The following information is being shared from the ACCME's web site at http://accme.org/events/ACCME2020

ACCME 2020 Meeting

May 6-8, 2020
Pre-conference sessions on May 5

Hilton Chicago
720 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60605

Call for Proposals

The ACCME 2020 Meeting Call for Proposals is now open and ready for your submissions!

We want to hear from you during the ACCME 2020 Meeting! Share how your CME Program is transforming care with your colleagues at the meeting. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm CT, Friday, September 13, 2019. Proposals will be accepted in the following three (3) categories:

Share Your CME Story – You have a CME story to share! How are you changing practice and healthcare through accredited CME? What challenges have you overcome? What have you learned? What inspires you and brings meaning to your work as an educator? Selected CME Stories will be shared in the meeting app for review and engagement by other ACCME 2020 participants. The stories that have the most engagement during the meeting will receive special recognition at the meeting.
Click here to submit one or more CME Stories
Inspire & Teach: Propose a Session – Share your expertise and experience as an educational leader. Submit your proposal for an educational session and help to improve the skills and performance of your colleagues. Selected proposals will be featured as breakout sessions at the ACCME 2020 Meeting. Additionally, session facilitators (up to two per session) will receive a 30% discount on meeting registration.
Click here to submit your proposed breakout session.
CME Effectiveness & Best Practices: Engaging in CME Research – Share your scholarship! What makes CME effective or ineffective in catalyzing learner change and healthcare improvement? Help mentor your colleagues as we pursue together critical questions about improving CME. Selected research project submissions will display a poster of their work throughout the ACCME 2020 Meeting and will present a short oral summary of their project during a Research Exchange session. The primary author for each selected proposal will receive a 20% discount on registration for the ACCME 2020 Meeting.
Click here to submit your CME research project.

You are welcome to submit multiple proposals in any or all of the above categories.

Call for Proposals Resources

Download this Information Sheet with the rules and details for submission.
Listen to a recording of the July 10th Informational Webinar, which includes some helpful tips from colleagues who had submissions selected for the ACCME 2019 Meeting.
If you need further assistance, contact info@accme.org

In Person

Educational

Public

CME Outfitters announces free addiction CME course

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 14:04:29 GMT

CME Outfitters, a leading international provider for continuing medical education and member of NAMEC, is offering a free continuing medical education course entitled “Championing Change: Addressing Addiction in our Communities.”

This course is a partnership between CME Outfitters and renowned addiction psychiatrist Dr. Mark Gold as well as Addiction Policy Forum founder and president Jessica Hulsey Nickel.

You can read more about this partnership at the following news release.

Connecticut Enacts Law Modifying CME Requirements to Include Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Training

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 19:54:21 GMT

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed into law Public Act 19-115, “An Act Concerning Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Training and Best Practices” (PA 19-115).

According to The National Law Review, "This legislation modifies the continuing medical education (CME) requirements for Connecticut-licensed physicians and the continuing education (CE) requirements for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Currently, during each CME period, physicians are required to complete at least one hour of CME relating to behavioral health. Similarly, APRNs are required to complete at least two hours of CE on mental health conditions common to veterans and their families."

See full article at NatLawReview.com

Further: "PA 19-115 allows physicians to complete their behavioral health training by receiving at least two hours in training regarding diagnosing and treating cognitive conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and related cognitive impairments, or mental health conditions, including those common to veterans. This legislation also permits APRNs to receive two or more hours of training toward their CE requirements on topics related to diagnosing and treating cognitive or mental health conditions, including Alzheimer’s and related cognitive impairments."

The law was signed on July 1, 2019, and becomes effective January 1, 2020.

Evolving the role of educators in CME

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 23 Jul 2019 17:51:12 GMT

Dr. Graham McMahon, CEO of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), discusses evolving the role of educators in CME.

ACCME new annual accreditation fee structure

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 19:11:58 GMT

2020 will bring a new fee structure from the ACCME for their annual accreditation fee. This is in response to suggestions from the CME community to distribute fees among programs of different sizes.

There will be four tiers of fees in the new structure. Tier 1 will be the smaller programs, up to Tier 4 being the largest. Accredited programs will provide the average activities per year and average learner interactions per year and the largest tier in which you fall will determine the fees your program will pay. The fees will range from Tier 1 at $5,900 per year up to $10,000 per year at Tier 4. Tier 2 is $6,500 per year and Tier 3 will be $7,500 per year.

Data is calculated from the Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) from 2016-2018.

This new fee structure does NOT impact other fees such as extensions, pre-applications and initial accreditation.

According to the ACCME, "Mergers and acquisitions, particularly in the hospital and health system sector, mean that large organizations consolidate the accreditation of multiple smaller CME programs under one umbrella. This trend is reducing the number of providers and driving greater size disparity among providers."

In addition, "We [the ACCME] rely on annual accreditation fees as our major source (69 percent) of yearly revenue. We operate with a closely balanced, conservative budget, using our revenues to achieve our strategic goals. After careful deliberations and analysis of our data, the ACCME executive leadership and Board of Directors determined that implementing a tiered accreditation fee structure is necessary to allow us to continue to fulfill our strategic responsibilities."

More information about this change can be found online at http://accme.org/highlights/accme-implements-new-tiered-structure-for-annual-accreditation-fee.

NAMEC members can discuss this at our online forum.

AHA report recommends continuing medical education as a strategic resource

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 16:10:30 GMT

The American Hospital Association's Physician Alliance has issued a new report with recommendations for how continuing medical education improvements can be made to increase value to hospitals.

"Hospitals account for a large proportion of the CME-granting programs with about 35 percent of the activities and 38 percent of the credit hours offered in 2013."

“CME allows physicians to reach their full potential both as caregivers and leaders of the health care field,” said AHA Senior Vice President John Combes, MD. “We have an opportunity to use CME strategically to achieve the goals not only of individual physicians but the entire delivery system to meet the needs of the patients and communities we serve.”

Additional notes from the report include the following steps to increase value:

Hospital associations should share best practices
Explore partnerships with medical societies and others to increase awareness of CME
Hospitals and health systems should facilitate greater communication between the CME professionals, physician leadership, and organization leadership to improve CME offerings. Organizations should develop physician champions to drive engagement of the staff, and encourage the use of data from community health assessments to spur education on population health issues.
The accreditation community should review accreditation standards for areas of improvement and simplification. For example, accrediting bodies should consider accreditation for smaller group projects that address current physician work. Hospital leaders also recommended using technology to streamline the paperwork burden in meeting accreditation requirements.
Finally, as health care delivery is changing, so to must the educational system. Greater use of performance-based CME, moving away from time-based activities, and increasing the diversity in accredited programs to adapt to the changing environment should all be considered.

The full report can be accessed at the following link:

AHA Report on Continuing Medical Education

AMA Ed Hub to help doctors track and report CME

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 24 May 2019 18:39:39 GMT

The American Medical Association (AMA) has launched the AMA Ed Hub to try to assist physicians in finding, tracking, and reporting CME credits. AMA Ed Hub currently has the capability to automatically report earned CME credits to select medical licensing boards including the American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Pediatrics, the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners and the North Carolina Medical Board. Others are expected to be added. You can read more about the platform here.

Maine Gift Ban: Proposed Regulations Issued – $250 Limit on Honorarium

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 21 May 2019 19:42:31 GMT

The State of Maine is proposing limiting physician honorarium for speaking, including speaking at accredited CME Events to $250.00. You can join the CME Coalition and submit comments that accredited education should be exempted from the final regulation. Maine is a very rural state, there is no way a physician will take one to two days out of their work to educate Maine doctors for $250. More information about the CME Coalition's efforts in this area can be found on their web site.

Webinar Update to the Outcomes Standardization Project

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 21 May 2019 19:37:32 GMT

A new webinar is available with updates to the Outcomes Standardization Project.

You can review the description of the Outcomes Standardization Project found in an earlier post, but basically it is a project to develop standard terms and definitions in the profession of continuing medical education/continuing education. Terms that definitions have been made available include Participant, Learner, Intended Reach, Learning Actions, Completion Rate, Assessment, Evaluation, and more.

The latest webinar with updates on the project for CME professionals can be viewed below.

Faculty Development Programs: Latest Research and Innovations

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 14 May 2019 14:44:17 GMT

How can you measure the impact of a faculty development program at your organization?

Important terms: Faculty; Faculty development program; Healthcare institutions; Medical and allied health faculty; Personal development

What is faculty development?

Faculty development is an organized, goal-directed process to achieve career progression and growth. Inherent in this process is the acquisition of skills that enable one to contribute in a meaningful way to the advancement of a field of interest, whether educational, operational, or scientific. The process requires attention to technical skills, personal attributes, and explicit goals. Supportive mentorship is optimal. This document outlines important concepts and identifies helpful resources for academic faculty members. [source]

Review a recently published research study:

The impact and effectiveness of faculty development program in fostering the faculty's knowledge, skills, and professional competence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:

Faculty vitality is the main ingredient to enhance professional education and competence. Enriching the faculty vitality in key domains of teaching, assessing, research, professionalism, and administration is perceived to improve educational environment significantly and enhances the academic performance of learners. Faculty development program (FDP) has been considered as a stand-alone educational pedagogy in fostering knowledge and professional skills of faculty. However, few studies have provided objective reports about the impact of such programs in a healthcare system.

Conclusion:

This article reiterates the incorporation of FDPs in all healthcare institutions for improving the academic performance of faculty with resultant enrichment of learners' knowledge and skills.

Link to more information.

A second recent study on this topic:

Is faculty development critical to enhance teaching effectiveness?

Faculty development programs will meet the shortage of medical teachers and groom faculty for leadership roles to provide solutions for achieving better standards of health for the population. This paper provides information on and insights into faculty development that may be useful to medical schools in designing professional growth opportunities for their faculty.

Link to more information.

Additional information on enhancing faculty development:

AAFP's CME Faculty Resource Center - link
ACCME's Faculty Development List of Resources - link

View this video about Innovations in Faculty Development

NAMEC member upcoming continuing medical education events

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 13 May 2019 14:38:36 GMT

Below are some upcoming continuing medical education (CME) events being offered by NAMEC members.

Medscape Education
NASH: The Epidemic Is Here, Are You Ready?
San Diego, CA - Manchester Grand Hyatt – Harbor Room Ballroom A/B/C
May 18, 2019 @ 6:15 pm

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), relatively unknown just 2 decades ago, are now the most common causes of chronic liver disease worldwide, affecting an estimated 25% of the world's population. The collective epidemic of NAFLD and NASH closely parallels the epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. As the prevalence of these conditions continues to increase, predictions are that the prevalence of NAFLD and NASH will also increase, creating an unprecedented clinical and economic burden. Early disease can be managed with modification of risk factors in some individuals. There are no approved drug regimens to treat NASH, but the clinical trial pipeline is very active. A panel of leading experts will emphasize the importance of early detection and diagnosis as a means to halting the epidemic through either preventing progression of disease or in the future, treatment.

Learn More

Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC
Every Breath You Take: A Case-based Approach to Improving Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management of Patients with COPD
Online Activity available through May 31, 2019

Learning Objectives
Upon proper completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:
Identify early signs and symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that warrant further evaluation with guideline-recommended tools and tests.
Describe evidence-based tools and strategies for determining the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including their utility in directing appropriate therapy.
Select treatment options for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by applying information about agent, patient, and disease characteristics.
Choose a medication delivery device for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that accords with patient needs, preferences, and capabilities.

Learn More

Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning (ACHL)
Kansas City Heart Rhythm Symposium 2019
Overland Park, KS - Sheraton Overland Park Hotel
August 17-18, 2019

The purpose of this symposium is to update medical practitioners in the greater Midwest region on the future of cardiac electrophysiology (EP), and on new diagnosis and treatment guidelines in the care and management of patients with arrhythmias, heart failure and other issues impacting the electrical system of the body. Participants will learn about advances in ablation techniques, device management, appropriate use criteria, and survey new developments in guidelines and recommendations. A review of clinical trials that have helped change the clinical practice of EP will also be held. Participants in this symposium will examine the latest trends in Left Atrial Appendage (LAA) treatment options and gain a greater understanding of anticoagulation and stroke prophylaxis.

Learn More

North American Center for Continuing Medical Education, LLC (NACCME)
Mitigating the Cost Burden of PAH: Evaluating the Value of Timely Treatment with Effective Therapy
Online Activity available through March 10, 2020

After participating in this activity, participants should be better able to:
Quantify the clinical and economic burdens associated with the delayed diagnosis, suboptimal treatment, and consequent hospitalization of patients with PAH
Evaluate clinical data regarding the PAH-specific therapies as well as their mechanism of action, efficacy, safety, and implications on mitigating healthcare utilization and costs
Develop diagnostic, treatment, and follow-up protocols for PAH that reflect guideline recommendations and current clinical evidence and support individualized PAH care
Inform formulary placement and benefit design decisions with the latest cost data, treatment guidelines, and optimal PAH management strategies

Learn More

Summary of Senate Committee hearing on MACRA & MIPS

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 10 May 2019 13:46:44 GMT

A recent Senate Committee on Finance hearing called the "Medicare Physician Payment Reform After Two Years: Examining MACRA Implementation and the Road Ahead" included representatives from the American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), American College of Surgeons (ACS), American Medical Group Association (AMGA), and the Brookings Institution.

-What is MACRA & MIPS?-

MACRA was generally regarded as a positive direction for redirecting the system for how physicians are paid but there were calls for changes in the program.

MACRA is a landmark regulation that breathed new life into the value-based reimbursement transition. The program is tying a significant portion of Medicare payments to patient outcomes, care quality, and costs.

MIPS was generally viewed as burdensome. There were some calls for it to be completely eliminated.

John Cullen, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, testified that MIPS 'has created a burdensome and extremely complex program that has increased practice costs and is contributing to physician burnout.' Further, Cullen observed that "understanding the requirements and scoring for each MIPS performance category and reporting data to CMS is a complex task and detracts from physicians’ ability to focus on patients.”

Another statement was critical of MIPS achieving its set goals.

Research examining the structure of the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and experience with similar programs suggest that MIPS is unlikely to improve the quality or efficiency of patient care. But MIPS is creating substantial administrative costs.

Additional coverage of this hearing:

PCORI Funding gaps in patient-centered outcomes research and comparative clinical effectiveness

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 09 May 2019 15:23:19 GMT

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Funding Announcement (PFA), PCORI aims to fund studies that address high-priority methodological gaps in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) and comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER).

Letters of Intent are due Wednesday, May 29, 2019, by 5:00 p.m. ET.

Those selected to submit a full application will be notified by Monday, June 24, 2019.

Full applications will be due Wednesday, September 4, 2019, by 5:00 p.m. ET.

All of the bullet points below are available - including to submit your application - at this link.

Applicant Resources

Write Your LOI

Methods PFA
Methods Application Guidelines
Methods LOI Template
Sample Methods LOI Template
Applicant FAQs
Methods PFA FAQs
PCORI Online: Pre-Award User Guide for Research Awards
Tips for Preparing a Responsive Letter of Intent (LOI)

Submit Your Application

Methods PFA
Methods Application Guidelines
Methods Application Checklist
Applicant FAQs
Methods PFA FAQs
PCORI Online: Pre-Award User Guide for Research Awards

Required Application Templates

People and Places Template
Leadership Plan Template (Only required if proposed project is dual-PI)
Methods Research Plan Template
Methodology Standards Checklist
Methods Milestones Template
Subcontractor Detailed Budget Template
Budget Justification Template
Letters of Support Table

If you are Resubmitting Your Application

Resubmission Letter Template

Additional Applicant Resources

PCORI Methodology Report and Standards
Policy on Submission of Research Contract Applications
Glossary
Ambassador Center
Engagement Rubric
Engagement in Research
Budgeting for Engagement Activities
Compensation Framework
Cost Principles: Description of Allowable Direct Costs under a PCORI Award
PCORI Merit Review Criteria
Standard Contract for Funded Research Projects

FROM PCORI:

What & Who We Fund

Research Focus

Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research (CER)

Studies that compare outcomes to determine the effectiveness, including risks and benefits, of two or more approaches to health care

CER Methods and Infrastructure

Studies to improve the methods available for patient-centered CER

Development of a large, highly representative electronic-data infrastructure, called PCORnet, for improving the conduct of patient-centered CER

Conditions Studied

We pay particular attention to:

Conditions that affect large numbers of people across a range of populations
Conditions that place a heavy burden on individuals, families, specific populations, and society
Rare diseases, which are difficult to study

Populations of Interest

We pay particular attention to a number of populations in making research funding decisions:

Racial and ethnic minorities
Older adults
Low-income
Residents of rural areas
Women
Children
Individuals with special healthcare needs, including individuals with disabilities, individuals with multiple chronic diseases, individuals with rare diseases, and individuals whose genetic makeup affects their medical outcomes
Patients with low health literacy/numeracy and limited English proficiency
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) persons
Veterans and members of the armed forces and their families

Eligibility

Private Sector

Nonprofit research organizations
For-profit research organizations

Public Sector

Universities and colleges
Hospitals and healthcare systems
Laboratories and manufacturers
Units of state, local, or federal government

US Organizations

Must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service

Foreign Organizations and Nondomestic Components of US Organizations

May apply if:

There is demonstrable benefit to the US healthcare system, and the essential scientific needs will be met by conducting the study outside the United States or having the study conducted by non-US research organizations
US efforts in the area of patient-centered research can be clearly shown, and the engagement plans include US patients and stakeholders, and are relevant to US healthcare system

Individuals: Not permitted to apply

Updates on Quality Improvement CME

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 08 May 2019 15:47:17 GMT

What is Quality Improvement CME?

Some have proposed defining it as the combined and unceasing efforts of everyone—healthcare professionals, patients and their families, researchers, payers, planners and educators—to make changes that will lead to better patient outcomes (health), better system performance (care) and better professional development. This definition arises from a conviction that healthcare will not realise its full potential unless change making becomes an intrinsic part of everyone's job, every day, in all parts of the system. Source.

Why is this important to CME specifically?

Clearly, improving outcomes is important. But on a very practical level for an individual physician, Medicare will reward physicians who complete 'quality improvement' CME as part of the Merit Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). MIPS was created as part of the Quality Payment Program created by the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA).

Per the ACCME, "accredited CME providers can support their clinician learners in several ways: you can help clinicians understand how to identify Improvement Activities, facilitate those activities, and then assist clinicians in attesting to their participation; and you can plan and present CME activities that will count as Improvement Activities." The ACCME has a webinar that explains how CME can qualify for MIPS.

In addition, the American College of Physicians has a program designed to coach organizations and physicians in improved patient care called ACP Advance. This program, launched in 2019 "will provide subscribed individuals and organizations with a 12-month tailored coaching program that includes a curriculum and access to online training courses and resources."

Another valuable resource is the repository of case studies where you can "Learn from other hospitals about successful strategies to create safe, reliable health care processes and deliver high-quality care to patients."

To meet the criteria for Improvement Activities in the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) of QPP, accredited CME providers need to implement activities that:
- Address a quality or safety gap that is supported by a needs assessment or problem analysis, or support the completion of such a needs assessment as part of the activity;
- Have specific, measurable aim(s) for improvement;
- Include interventions intended to result in improvement;
- Include data collection and analysis of performance data to assess the impact of the interventions; and
- Define meaningful clinician participation in their activity, describe the mechanism for identifying clinicians who meet the requirements, and provide participant completion information.

Additional resources that may prove useful:

The National Committee for Quality Assurance's FAQ.
The ACCME's MIPS FAQ.
10 FAQs About the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
CMS MACRA Guide and FAQ.

MACRA Funding Announcement [Excerpt]

Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Funding Opportunity: Measure Development for the Quality Payment Program

Cooperative agreement awardees
On September 21, 2018, we selected 7 applicants to receive cooperative agreement awards through the “Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) Funding Opportunity: Measure Development for the Quality Payment Program.”
The cooperative agreements give financial and limited technical support to:
    Develop
    Improve
    Update or
    Expand measures to use in the Quality Payment Program.
Measures for consideration include:
    Outcome measures such as patient-reported outcome and functional status measures.
    Patient experience measures.
    Care coordination measures.
    Measures of appropriate use of services.
We’re committed to advancing quality measures that:
    Minimize burden on clinicians.
    Improve outcomes for patients.
    Drive value in care.
It's critical that we leverage the expertise and insight of those on the front lines to develop measures that make the most sense and contribute to building a truly value-based healthcare system. We look forward to partnering with these organizations.

95% of eligible clinicians participated in the first year of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System!

[Excerpt] MIPS participation in year 1 nets 95% of eligible clinicians

In terms of quality measures selected and reported, the most prevalent was controlling high blood pressure, an intermediate outcome measure, according to the report. The rest of those in the top 10 were process measures. Among them were tobacco screening and intervention, breast cancer screening and pneumococcal vaccine status in the elderly.

The most reported improvement activity was providing 24/7 access to a patient's medical record, a key ingredient in ensuring timely and coordinated care. Rounding out the top five were use of decision support and standardized treatment protocols, patient-centered medical home attestation, engagement of patients through implementation of improvements in a patient portal, and collection and follow-up on patient experience and satisfaction data on beneficiary engagement. [Source]

Outcomes Standardization Project

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 07 May 2019 15:05:50 GMT

The Outcomes Standardization Project has a web site.

http://outcomesince.org/glossary/ is now available for those that may be interested in standard terms and definitions in the profession of continuing medical education/continuing education.

Terms that definitions have been made available include Participant, Learner, Intended Reach, Learning Actions, Completion Rate, Assessment, Evaluation, and more. Click the link above to view the list.

If you are not familiar with why this is available, what the purpose of it is, etc. you may want to review the webinar available at https://youtu.be/Qt6kxjCWPtc

You can also view this video below:

ACCME posts annual report

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 06 May 2019 15:57:36 GMT

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) has shared the following press release for your review:

The ACCME is pleased to release Advancing CME to Optimize Care: 2018-2019 Highlights from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME(R)). The year-in-review report describes the ACCME and continuing medical education (CME) community's initiatives to advance quality learning for healthcare professionals the drives improvements in patient care.

* Through collaborations with state medical society accreditors, the ACCME provides education and resources to sustain local CME and a vibrant state-accreditation system.

* The ACCME expanded collaborations with accreditors, certifying boards, licensing boards, and government agencies, enabling clinicians to engage in education that counts for multiple requirements, reducing burdens and increasing flexibility.

* Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education (TM) welcomed four more professions, giving jointly accredited organizations the option to offer team-based education for seven professions without needing separate accreditations.

* By participating in national public health initiatives, the ACCME and the educator community leverage the power of accredited CME to address the opioid crisis.

With its new website, international collaborations, research opportunities, and more advanced data system, the ACCME aims to promote an even more dynamic CME enterprise that is ready to adapt to the changing educational needs of clinician-learners today and in the future.

The ACCME published Advancing CME to Optimize Care, as part of its effort to build visibility for the CME community and communicate the value of accreditation and accredited CME.

"I look forward to our continued collaborations and growth, as we work together toward realizing our vision of a world where our community of educators supports clinicians in delivering optimal healthcare for all." - Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, ACCME President and CEO

Download the report here (http://www.accme.org/publications/2018-2019-highlights-report).

ACCME

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME(R)) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, responsible for accrediting organizations that offer continuing medical education (CME) and for recognizing state medical societies as accreditors of local CME programs.

The ACCME sets standards for CME that reflect the values of the educator community and aim to accelerate learning, inspire change, and champion improvement in healthcare. These standards ensure that accredited CME is designed to be relevant to clinicians' needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness, and independent of commercial influence. Through participation in accredited CME, clinicians and teams drive improvement in their practice and optimize the care, health, and wellness of their patients.

Accredited CME facilitates engagement with physicians and healthcare teams where they live, learn, and work. There are approximately 1,800 accredited CME providers within the ACCME System, across the country and internationally, representing a range of organizations including medical schools, hospitals/health systems, government/military agencies, specialty societies, and insurance/managed-care companies. Accredited providers offer about 163,000 activities each year, comprising more than one million hours of instruction and including more than 28 million interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals.

Indiana State Medical Association app for opioid education

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 03 May 2019 14:24:42 GMT

The Indiana State Medical Association (ISMA) has a new mobile app, available for free, that gives physicians that may prescribe controlled-substance access to opioid-related education. The Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation provided a grant to fund this new app. This education is required by Indiana law - Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 225 which passed in 2018.

The app can help physicians fulfill the 2 hour required continuing medical education every 2 years. The app uses video, webinars and podcasts to transmit the education.

The educational requirement takes effect July 1. ISMA's web site notes that they are the largest physician organization in Indiana.

The name of the app is ISMA Online.

PER presenting satellite symposia at annual urology meeting

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 19:39:17 GMT

Physicians’ Education Resource® to Present Two Satellite Symposia at the 2019 AUA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

The two innovative live educational activities will be presented at McCormick Place West in Chicago, Illinois, on May 3 and 4, 2019 as part of the 2019 AUA Annual Meeting.

Transforming Treatment Paradigms in Renal Cell Carcinoma: Understanding the Role of Risk Stratification and Emerging Data in the Adjuvant Setting, will be held as a breakfast symposium on Friday, May 3, from 8-9:30 a.m. in W375B on level 3. The program will be chaired by Robert A. Figlin, M.D., FACP, Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology, director of the division of hematology/oncology, deputy director of integrated oncology service line and a professor of medicine and biomedical sciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. During this program, a multidisciplinary panel of renowned experts in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) will guide attendees through an in-depth, up-to-date review of risk assessment in the early-stage RCC setting; surgical standards-of-care and challenges; patient selection for adjuvant systemic therapy; evidence from clinical studies of adjuvant therapy for RCC; and overall multidisciplinary care planning. To register, click here.
Bladder Cancer Working Group: Practical Application of Immunotherapeutic Strategies to Optimize Patient Outcomes, Next Steps to Move the Field Forward, will be held as a dinner symposium on Saturday, May 4, from 6-8 p.m. in W375A on level 3. The program will be chaired by Daniel P. Petrylak, M.D., professor of medicine and urology, co-director of the Signal Transduction Research Program, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine. During this program, a multidisciplinary faculty of renowned experts in urology, medical oncology and immunotherapy will review practice-changing data and discuss their impact on patient care. Brief didactic presentations will be followed by real-world clinical case presentations and discussions to facilitate interpretation and application of the evidence. The faculty will also share their forward-looking perspectives on the bladder cancer treatment horizon based on recently reported and anticipated clinical trial data. To register, click here.

Physicians Address Sleep Quality of Patients

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 19:31:07 GMT

MDMag covered the issue of patient sleep quality for overall health in a recent article. Paul P. Doghramji, MD, Karl Doghramji, MD, and David N. Neubauer, MD each questioned why patient sleep is not considered as a commonly-accepted measure of a patient’s health, similar to blood-pressure tests.

"Studies have shown that at least 50% of all primary care patients experience insomnia at some point. Only 1 in 3 will present the issue to their doctor, Doghramji said, and just 1 in 20 will seek therapy for it."

The topic was discussed during a continuing medical education symposium supported by Eisai Inc and Imbrium Therapeutics during the 2019 American College of Physicians (ACP) Internal Medicine Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA. Risk factors from sleep issues are distinguishable and the discussion should continue and perhaps help improve patient care.

NAMEC Launches Facebook page

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 18:52:31 GMT

Join us on Facebook to share news, pictures and posts, even share your continuing medical education events. Our Facebook page, created on April 26, 2019, is https://fb.me/namecassn - we hope you join us!

Rhode Island physicians fighting maintenance of certification

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 15:23:32 GMT

An opinion article by Howard Schulman, MD, was published in the Providence Journal arguing for the passage of H5247/S301 that would remove requirements for maintenance of certification (MOC). One of his arguments against MOC is that Rhode Island doctors must obtain 40 hours of CME every 2 years.

"The great majority of doctors enjoy keeping up to date and look forward to doing continuing medical education." He states "Being a doctor is much more than filling in the dots on a computer screen."

Additionally, he notes, several government departments, attorneys, insurance companies, media and credentialing services monitor physicians and can take action.

You can read the full article here. This is one of the latest fights against maintenance of certification that are introduced in several states across the nation.

NAMEC member Physicians' Education Resource hosting Future of Neurology Congress

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 15:55:14 GMT

NAMEC Member Physicians’ Education Resource is hosting the first annual International Congress on the Future of Neurology conference September 27 to 28. The location will be in New York City at the Intercontinental New York Time Square. Chairing the educational program is Stephen D. Silberstein, M.D., professor of neurology, director, Jefferson Headache Center at Thomas Jefferson University.

The Congress is a two-day comprehensive meeting that will review the latest data and the best practices for treating patients in the eight core areas of neurological disorders: dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, headache and migraine, movement disorders, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders, stroke and sleep disorders.

Learn more about this program.

Market Research Report Predicts Tremendous Growth of Continuing Medical Education

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 18:31:35 GMT

According to an article by Tranparency Market Research, a U.S.-based provider of syndicated research, customized research, and consulting services, the Continuing Medical Education (CME) market is expected to have tremendous growth through 2026.

The collaboration between medical societies and industry in medical education is the much debated opportunity for the delivery of the continuing medical education to the physicians.

The importance of accreditation was noted in the article. ACCME is the main widely known accrediting body for CME in the United States.

Additional information about this forecast for CME can be found at the full article at HonestBusinessman.com.

CME Outfitters launches new nationwide educational initiative to combat opioid crisis

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 18:13:14 GMT

NAMEC Member CME Outfitters recently announced the launch of two new CME Snacks, Understanding the Big Picture of Pain and Pain Assessment, and Providing the Right Expectations: Understanding the Pathophysiology of Pain. These 15 minute online activities feature expert faculty members Mark S. Gold, MD, and Steven P. Stanos, DO.

The new launches are part of a CME Outfitters and USF Health nationwide educational initiative to combat inappropriate use of opioids in the management of acute and chronic pain. More information about the project called Addressing the Opioid Epidemic: A Call to Action to Save Our Communities, can be found at the linked press release here.

Mark your calendar

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 13:30:00 GMT

If you are planning to attend the ACCME third annual meeting, note that it will be held April 30th - May 2nd at the Hyatt Regency Hotel Chicago (pre-conference sessions on April 29th).

You can access additional information - including the most recent posted agenda - and registration at accme2019.org.

Read about CME Outfitters' investigation of factors influencing best practice behaviors

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 21:06:59 GMT

An article titled "Using Education to Address the Problem of Delayed Narcolepsy Diagnosis" was published referencing NAMEC Member CME Outfitters work investigating factors influencing best practice behaviors, so barriers may be addressed in future educational activities.

The full article can be accessed here.

PER hosting 16th Annual Winter Lung Cancer Conference in Miami Beach

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 16:43:20 GMT

NAMEC member Physicians’ Education Resource® is hosting the 16th Annual Winter Lung Cancer Conference January 25-27, 2019, at Eden Roc Miami Beach, Florida. For more information about this event, click here.

Miami Breast Cancer Conference Managed by Physicians Education Resource

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 21:28:06 GMT

NAMEC member Physicians’ Education Resource® announced the full agenda for the 36th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference ® to be held March 7-10, 2019, at the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach, Florida. The chair of the conference will be Patrick I. Borgen, M.D., chair of the department of surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Click for more information from the AP article.

Colorado Sun article questions lack of CME requirement in Colorado

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 12 Dec 2018 15:20:34 GMT

"Nurses do. Lawyers do. But Colorado doctors don’t have to take continuing education courses... Colorado is one of only four states that does not require any continuing medical education for physicians."

Read the full article here. Comments are welcome (click blue box to add comment; members only).

Michigan Medicine Proposals for Innovation Grants for Continuing Medical Education

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 21:01:54 GMT

The Office of Continuing Medical Education and Lifelong Learning is inviting project proposals for grants to support innovations in Continuing Medical Education (CME).

Successful project proposals will receive up to $25,000.

Proposals can promote innovation in all aspects of physician learning or training, including content, process, outcomes or assessment.

Here’s what you need to know:

Proposals are to be submitted via this online form with the opportunity to add additional supporting documentation.

The deadline for submission is Friday, Dec. 22.

Awards will be announced and funds will be available by Feb. 15, 2019.

Improved delivery or access to CME: For example, unique methods to increase collaborative learning (shared grand rounds with novel IT support), educational activities with affiliated or community physicians.

Clinical relevance: For example, education targeted to improve quality care or to address patient safety concerns or public health priorities. Activities focused on helping physicians achieve recent medical licensing requirements; medical ethics, pain or symptom control, and human trafficking.

Educational effectiveness: For example, projects which explore new methods to measure educational impact on patient care.

Encouraging interprofessional learning and team training: For example, developing activities that encourage collaborative team training in medical simulation.

Clinical skill enhancement: Projects that improve technical and/or procedural skills, including observed evaluation and formative feedback to the learner.

Involvement of physicians in training in educational planning

Activity information

Name of the CME activity, faculty lead(s), proposed date(s), location(s) of the activity, target audience (list professional disciplines and specialties)

CME activity description

Briefly describe the objectives, format, and contents of the proposed activity.

Highlight aspects of the activity that address the additional scope priorities (outlined above)

Innovation

What makes your idea different? Describe the innovative and/or novel aspects of the CME activity with respect to existing or standard practice.

Assessment

It is important that the educational impact of your innovative approach is measurable.

Describe the methods that will be used to measure the impact.

Budget

State the amount of funding requested.

Attach a detailed budget of all expenses related to the development and production of the activity, including any expected cost sharing.

Letter(s) of support

Scope of the proposals

Project proposals should be designed to improve the delivery of relevant and effective Continuing Medical Education, enhancing the professional development of physicians and the interprofessional teams in which they work. A broad range of proposals are invited, but preference will be given to projects that target the following:

A maximum of two awards will be made to an individual faculty member within a grant cycle. Funding may be allocated to salaries and wages, fringe benefits, supplies and materials, and other relevant expenses.

Proposal guidelines/submission content

The proposal should include the following sections supported by a detailed budget and letter(s) of support (plus other relevant materials):

Please direct any administrative questions to project coordinator Chelle Robins at 734-936-1671.

CME Outfitters New Program in the News

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 07 Dec 2018 20:58:51 GMT

CME Outfitters (CMEO) recently announced a new partnership with CME Master, a division of HealthMinds Consulting Pvt. Ltd. to bring certified CME courses to India and the Middle East, with expansion into South East Asia expected soon. The full article can be found here.

Members in the News

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 20:07:19 GMT

NAMEC member Physicians’ Education Resource® was featured in Odessa American regarding their conducting six satellite symposia at the Annual American Society of Hematology Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, California. Click here to see the article.

The Associated Press also covered Physicians' Education Resource with the honoring of Robert Figlin, M.D., FACP, as this year’s Educator of the Year award ceremony Nov. 8 during the 36th Annual Chemotherapy Foundation Symposium: Innovative Cancer Therapy for Tomorrow meeting. This article can be found here.

How NAMEC Membership Can Help Your Job Search

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 16:50:52 GMT

NAMEC has been a presence in the CME world for a long time now. Our web site attracts those in the field and members of the public who want to learn more about CME. We often get calls from those interested in providing CME, obtaining CME, or just learning more about the field. For those looking to enter the field either forming a company to provide CME or a service to the field, or by finding a job in the field, we have often recommended joining NAMEC at the individual member rate. This is a very affordable way to display your interest in the field, find information about other members, and learn about trending topics. Our members also regularly receive updates on job postings in the field.

We also came across this article on Forbes, which reiterates what we have often thought. Very refreshing to see this recognized in this national publication! "How Engaging With An Industry Association Can Energize Your Job Search" - link: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/10/23/how-engaging-with-an-industry-association-can-energize-your-job-search/#1fed6ff17111

Click the following links for more information about membership or to join NAMEC as an Individual member. Now is a great time to join as you qualify for the remainder of 2018 and full 2019 membership at this time!

Call for NAMEC Best Practice Awards Submissions

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 19:41:22 GMT

Dear NAMEC Colleagues:

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 14^th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Monday, October 1^st. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit a nomination in each of the competitive categories. Criteria and nomination processes are included in this email.

This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design
Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design
Best Practice in CME Outside of the USA (Live or Enduring)
Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders
Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Best Practice in Innovative Educational Methods
Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award

All nominations should be received no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, November 30, 2018. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

Recipients will have the opportunity to discuss their activities during the NAMEC Annual Meeting, to be held during the ACEHP Conference in National Harbor, Maryland January 23-26, 2019. The date and time for the Awards ceremony is TBD.

If you have questions about the awards please, contact Audrie Tornow at atornow@paradigmmc.com or Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

Best Regards,

NAMEC Awards Committee

2018 NAMEC Awards Cover Sheet (Word file) (PDF file)
2018 Awards Submission Process Document (Word file) (PDF file)

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 14:27:59 GMT

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of Directors

Please note: The deadline for submission is November 9, 2018

This is a call for nominations to fill open seats on the NAMEC Board of Directors:

4 Director positions (two for 1-year terms and two for 3-year terms)

Candidates should indicate whether they are running for a 1-year term or a 3-year term in their nomination submission.

Duties of Directors

Candidates must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (usually held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Candidates must be willing to Chair standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Candidates should also be willing to serve as an officer of the organization (officers are elected by the membership from the members of the Board)

Qualifications of Nominees

Those nominated should be employed by a NAMEC member organization in good standing and have at least 3 years experience in the CME industry
All nominees should possess leadership ability, a high degree of personal and professional integrity, and the ability to recruit members to the organization and volunteers to support our activities
In addition, the organization encourages individuals with one or more of the following characteristics, which have been identified as critical skills/qualifications for Board members:

Ø  Familiarity with changes in healthcare and medical education, particularly the role of CME in improving the quality and safety of patient care

Ø  CME regulatory expertise

Ø  Experience related to MEC public relations and/or advocacy

Ø  Strong skills in business, marketing, and/or communications

Ø  Knowledge of adult education principles

Terms of Office

Directors are selected by vote of the membership and will serve either a 1-year or 3-year term; candidates should indicate whether they are running for a 1-year term or a 3-year term in their nomination submission.

Nomination and Election Process

To be eligible for nomination, candidates must be members of organizations that meet the definition of “full voting”
Any representative of a “full voting” organization may make a nomination, including a self-nomination
Candidates must submit the following information to the NAMEC Business Office, info@NAMEC-assn.org by November 9, 2018:

Ø  A biographical sketch of no more than 350 words

Ø  A “statement of philosophy” pertinent to the goals and mission of the organization of no more than 350 words

Ø  A picture to include on the ballot

The Nomination and Elections Committee will review the submissions, prepare the slate of candidates, and email a ballot to the “primary” member of each “full voting” organization. All ballots (1 from each member organization) must be cast on or before December 14, 2018
The results of the election will be announced at the Annual NAMEC Meeting, to be held in January, 2018 during the ACEHP Annual Meeting

You should expect an email acknowledging receipt of your submission from the NAMEC business office. If you do not get an acknowledgement, please call 205-824-7612 to ensure your submission is received.

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics statement

As a member of the NAMEC Board of Directors I will:

Ensure that my fiduciary duty to NAMEC is the foundation for all of my actions as a Board member
Represent the interests of all members served by NAMEC
Refrain from using my service on the NAMEC Board primarily for my own personal advantage
Keep confidential any information so designated by the Board of Directors
Approach all Board issues with an open mind, listen respectfully to the opinions of my Board colleagues, and make decisions based on the best interests of NAMEC and its members
Act with the authority of NAMEC only when such authority is delegated to me by the Board or the bylaws
Sign or e-mail an agreement attesting to this policy

All interested candidates should forward their biographical sketch, statement of philosophy, and photograph to the NAMEC Business Office by November 9, 2018.

Email: info@NAMEC-assn.org

Website: http://www.NAMEC-assn.org

If you have questions regarding the nominations process or the duties of Officers and Directors, please contact Audrie Tornow at atornow@paradigmmc.com or Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

Upcoming Meetings

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 20:46:55 GMT

ACEHP has announced their 2019 Annual Meeting:

NAMEC typically has our annual meeting session within the ACEHP meeting. The exact day and time will be announced. Overall meeting information is:

January 23-26, 2019
Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center
National Harbor, MD

ACCME has announced their 2019 Annual Meeting:

April 30 - May 2, 2019 (pre-conference sessions on April 29th)
Hyatt Regency Hotel Chicago
151 East Upper Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL, 60601

The ACCME 2019 Meeting will be a key opportunity for advancing your educational program, whether developing strategies for meeting the expectations of ACCME's Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation; pursuing public health imperatives; or seeking opportunities to bring technology, creativity, and innovation to your educational program.

ACCME Releases Guide to Accredited CME

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 16:28:51 GMT

The ACCME has released a step-by-step guide to implementing accredited CME improvement activities.

The guide will assist CME providers in helping their learners to make sure they meet the expectations for either Maintenance of Certification (MOC) and Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS).

Access the guide here.

Beginner CME for MOC: Ask Your Questions Webinar

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 15:30:00 GMT

Beginner CME for MOC: Ask Your Questions Webinar, September 18, 2018 at 1 pm

This interactive webinar is for those that have not yet offered CME for MOC or have just offered a couple of activities. Bring your questions about planning or reporting CME that Counts for MOC to ACCME staff for answers and guidance.

More information and register

Elderly Veterans

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 16:00:28 GMT

Elderly veterans represent a special group within the general population and appropriate and timely treatment is paramount for this unique population. The ability to gain access to immediate medical and mental health services has been at the forefront of discussion within recent years and with this came more focus on the type and quality of services that were being provided to this group. For the service to this country many veterans are given the opportunity to have healthcare services provided to them post discharge or after military service. There are several veterans administration within many states across the country that are specifically designed to cater to the needs of veterans. In particular, the mental health needs and ensuring that this is adequately addressed is important to this population given the potential to develop cognitive impairments or slowing with age progression. The addition of combat exposure with the aging process can contribute to cognitive decline so it is important for healthcare professionals to be aware of the hallmark signs and symptoms of this condition to manage in a timely manner. Elderly veterans represent an invaluable group of people and ensuring that they receive the best care possible regardless of the condition should be at the forefront of conversations.

Abimbola Farinde, PhD
Professor
Columbia Southern University

Advanced CME for MOC: Ask Your Questions Webinar

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 17:19:56 GMT

ACCME Webinar
July 17, 2018, 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

This interactive webinar is for those who have already planned and offered CME for MOC. Click here for details and to register.

Simplify Your Meetings

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:14:17 GMT

Complying with Open Payments regulations

Staying within grant budgets

Ensuring registration accuracy

Keeping your staff in the office

Using local On-Site Meeting Professionals for your CME and Promotional meetings can help you handle these and many other challenges.

GCG Event Partners has been working with continuing medical education companies since 2003. With a network of thousands of meeting professionals across the country, we have been helping our clients run successful meetings for many years.

So, how can we help?

Complying with Open Payments regulations: We can help you by providing experienced On-Site Meeting Professionals who serve as important buffers. The sales reps won’t need to be concerned with who is handling the registration forms, collecting evaluations, introducing speakers, or preventing attendees from bringing a guest. That’s what we do.

Staying within grant budgets: You won’t need to worry about all the travel expenses anymore. By using local professionals not only do you save money, you’ll know the exact cost for every meeting in advance no matter where it is in the U.S. thanks to our consistent nationwide pricing.

Ensuring registration accuracy: Have someone there to make sure the registration forms are filled out properly. As you know, incomplete or missing forms can lead to budgeting and compliance issues.

Keeping your staff in the office: Cities, towns, small rural locations; It doesn’t matter. GCG Event Partners guarantees that we can provide you with experienced On-Site Meeting Professionals anywhere in the U.S.

If the question is: How do I ensure successful meetings while staying in compliance and on budget?

The answer is simple: GCG Event Partners

Give us a call and take advantage of our Spring Education Promotion. New clients get $50 off their first meeting.

Use promo code: Spring Education (order must be placed by 7/15/18)

GCG Event Partners

125 Main Street, Suite H

Stoneham, MA 02180

781-279-9887

info@gcgeventpartners.com

Alabama questions cost implications of MOC

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 14:49:02 GMT

In an article titled "“Are ‘useless’ exams raising the cost of healthcare in Alabama?", Alabama Today is raising the issue of the value of Maintenance of Certification (MOC) towards the healthcare system. Arguments are made that time and resources could be better spent with patients rather than on certification. Click here to link to the full article. Members may add their comment on the NAMEC web site as well.

Tennessee Legislature Approves MOC Bill

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 23 Mar 2018 14:47:52 GMT

The bill allows the medical staff at hospitals to determine whether to require MOC or accept other forms of competency measures (such as Continuing Medical Education) for credentialing and/or admitting privileges. Hospitals requiring MOC must adopt bylaws making it a stipulation for work or network participation.

“[The Tennessee Medical Association's] goal, after years of complaints from our member physicians about MOC testing requirements, was simply to give doctors options for maintaining and improving their professional competency," said Nita W. Shumaker, MD, TMA president 2017-2018. "Doctors should not be forced by hospitals or insurance companies to participate in an arbitrary certification process that has not been shown to improve quality of care. This bill gives much-needed relief for doctors who may choose Continuing Medical Education or other forms of ongoing learning. Thanks to Senator Briggs, Rep. Williams and the other members of our state legislature, Tennessee is now one of few states developing real solutions to this national issue.”

Read full article here.

NAMEC Announces 2017 Award Recipients

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 19:44:49 GMT

NAMEC Best Practice in Enduring Material Educational Design

Presented To: Paradigm Medical Communications, LLC for "Do You Know JAK?"

NAMEC Best Practice in Learner Outcomes

Presented To: CME Outfitters, LLC for "Incorporating Predictive Modeling Into Outcomes Analyses to Inform Educational Design: An Example from an Activity on Epilepsy"

NAMEC Best Practice in Live Activity Educational Design

Presented To: Paradigm Medical Communications for "BOnT-A for Spasticity: Transforming Science Into Clinical Success"

NAMEC Best Practice in CME Outside of the USA

Presented To: Paradigm Medical Communications for "Academy for the Advancement of Aesthetics"

NAMEC Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders

Presented To: Academy for Continued Healthcare Learning for "The Evolution of Therapies for NSCLC: Navigating New Therapies &Counseling Patients in Clinical Decisions"

Astellas Call for Grant Application

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 18:00:28 GMT

Call for Grant Application (CGA): Oncology – Prostate Cancer
Deadline: January 19, 2018

Submit through the Astellas Grant Management System, accessible at www.astellasgrants.com

Target Audience - Primary: Urologists, both academic and community based. Secondary: Medical oncologists and other HCPs responsible for treatment decisions for patients with prostate cancer.

View full CGA

Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Scoring 101 Guide for 2017 Performance Period

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 04 Jan 2018 20:01:21 GMT

MIPS Scoring 101 Guide has been updated for 2017 reporting and is available for review here:

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Payment-Program/Resource-Library/MIPS-Scoring-101-Guide.pdf

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Fellowships

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 19 Dec 2017 15:49:21 GMT

Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning & Change
Clinical area: Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Applications due: Feb 16, 2018

Read full RFP here.

ACCME 2018 Meeting

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 20:17:41 GMT

"Building an Educational Home Together"
ACCME 2018 Meeting
April 16-29, 2019
Chicago, Illinois

From the ACCME web site, "The ACCME 2018 meeting will be a key opportunity for advancing your educational program, whether developing strategies for meeting the expectations of ACCME's Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation; pursuing public health imperatives; or seeking opportunities to bring technology, creativity, and innovation to your educational program."

Click here for more details.

Celgene Corporation Request for Proposal - Hematology

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 08 Nov 2017 15:43:38 GMT

Celgene Corporation Request for Proposal
2018 AML Continuing Professional Educational Programming
Therapeutic Area: Hematology
Disease State: Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)
Grant applications must be submitted through Celgene website: www.celgene.com

Full RFP: https://media.celgene.com/content/uploads/Celg-2017-RFP-AML.pdf

Deadline November 20, 2017 by 5PM EST.

Free Webinar led by NAMEC Board Member

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 26 Oct 2017 20:57:20 GMT

We're happy to share BeaconLive's upcoming complimentary CME webinar featuring NAMEC Board of Director member Jamie Reiter, PhD - Director of Educational Outcomes at CME Outfitters. Her topic is Understanding the Why: A Primer on Using Predictive Modeling to Inform Educational Outcomes. She will provide an overview of predictive modeling, as well as how to conduct the most common form of predictive modeling, ie regression, using Excel and other vetted online calculators.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

Understand criteria for conducting different predictive modeling analyses
Identify activities and variables to use for predictive modeling analysis
Conduct a basic predictive modeling analysis

Interested in signing up for the session? Click below for additional details!

Understanding the Why: A Primer on Using
Predictive Modeling to Inform Educational Outcomes

Tuesday, November, 21 2017 – 11:00 AM EST

Asking whether or not an activity was successful is not enough in today's healthcare environment. Being able to answer the “why” related to educational outcomes is an important component of developing activities that not only ensures best practices are being implemented but also results in improved patient outcomes.

Want to reserve a spot for the 21st? You can register here.

Recent Article about Pharma Funding Trends

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 14:40:12 GMT

Most surveyed Pharma companies were funding dedicated continuing medical education programs.

Additional information can be found at the online article.

30 years of Medical Education's top-cited articles

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 18:08:59 GMT

"The top-cited articles in Medical Education focused on three major areas of interest: problem-based learning, simulation and assessment. In each of these areas of interest, we noted a tension between the desire to produce and apply standardised tools, and the recognition that the contexts of medical education are highly variable and influenced by political and financial considerations. The general preoccupation with achieving efficiency may paradoxically jeopardise the ability of medical schools to address the contextual needs of students, teachers and patients."

BMS RFPs for Independent Medical Education

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 17:51:53 GMT

BMS has two open RFPs in the following areas:

2018 Multidisciplinary Head & Neck Cancers Symposium - click here (due date 9/29/2017)

Immunotherapy Hepatocellulary Carcinoma (HCC) - click here (due date 9/15/2017)

AMA and ACCME Announce Call for Comment on Proposal to Align Credit and Accreditation Systems

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 26 Apr 2017 18:19:46 GMT

The American Medical Association (AMA) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME^®) are today opening a call for comment on their proposal to simplify and align their expectations for accredited continuing medical education (CME) activities that offer the AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Comments will be accepted through May 25, 2017, at 5 pm CDT.

Reflective of the AMA and ACCME’s shared values, the proposal for alignment is designed to encourage innovation and flexibility in accredited CME while continuing to ensure that activities meet educational standards and are independent of commercial influence. The proposal is aimed at allowing accredited CME providers to introduce and blend new instructional practices and learning formats that are appropriate to their learners and setting, provided they abide by the seven core requirements described in the proposal.

The core requirements outlined in the proposal are aligned with ACCME requirements—and do not represent any new rules for accredited providers. However, the AMA has simplified and reduced its learning format requirements to provide more flexibility for CME providers. To further encourage innovation in educational design and delivery, CME providers may design and deliver an activity that uses blended or new approaches to driving meaningful learning and change. For these activities, the provider can designate credits on an hour-per-credit basis using their best reasonable estimate of the time required to complete the activity. Additional details about the “Proposed Simplification of Requirements for Accredited CME Activities Certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™” can be found below this news release.

“We celebrate this collaborative effort with our AMA colleagues and the opportunity to advance the evolution of CME. This proposal reflects the values of our CME providers and supports their aspirations to engage in education that makes a meaningful difference in clinician practice and patient care. We want to do everything we can to encourage innovation and experimentation in CME, so that educators are free to respond nimbly to their learners’ changing needs while staying true to core principles for educational excellence and independence. We thank accredited CME providers for their participation in this process and look forward to their feedback on our proposal and to our continued work together to drive quality in postgraduate medical education and improve care for the patients and communities we all serve,” said Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME.

“Based on the feedback we received from the CME community during listening sessions, we recognize the need to better align the AMA and ACCME’s requirements for CME accreditation and reaccreditation,” said Susan Skochelak, M.D., AMA Group Vice President for Medical Education. “We believe that our proposal will support the evolution of CME to better meet the needs of educators, physicians, and the patients they serve. We want to hear from the CME community to make sure the proposal addresses their feedback. We encourage CME providers to submit their comments to the proposal so we can continue to evolve to a more streamlined system that meets their needs.”

In addition to collaborating on the proposal, the AMA and ACCME produced a shared glossary of terms and definitions to help clarify terminology for accredited CME providers and learners. Developed both as part of their alignment efforts and in response to requests from CME providers, the AMA is also seeking feedback on the glossary during the comment period.

Following the call for comment period, the AMA and ACCME will analyze the feedback and determine whether to make modifications to the proposal and glossary. Once finalized, the resulting new process will be integrated into the existing accreditation and reaccreditation processes.

The alignment proposal was developed by the Bridge Committee, which was formed by the AMA and ACCME to support their collaborative realignment efforts. The committee—made up of staff and volunteers from both organizations—serves in an advisory capacity on issues related to alignment and the evolution of the two complementary systems of credit and accreditation.

PROPOSED SIMPLIFICATION OF REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCREDITED CME ACTIVITIES CERTIFIED FOR AMA PRA CATEGORY 1 CREDIT^TM

Based on feedback from the community and a comprehensive review of the AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM requirements, the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Medical Education and Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) are proposing an alignment of their expectations for accredited CME activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Reflective of the AMA and ACCME’s shared values, the proposal for alignment is designed to encourage innovation and flexibility, while ensuring that activities are independent and educationally appropriate. Accredited CME providers can introduce and blend new instructional practices and formats appropriate to their learners and setting, as long as they abide by the core requirements. CME providers may designate an activity format as “other” if it does not fall into one of the established format categories, without asking permission from the AMA. For these activities, providers can designate credits on an hour-per-credit basis, using their best reasonable estimate of the time required to complete the activity.

This proposal contains the following two elements:

A. Core requirements for activities
B. A limited number of format-specific requirements

A. Core Requirements for Activities

Please note: The core requirements are aligned with ACCME requirements and do not represent any new rules for accredited providers.

The CME activity must conform to the AMA/ACCME definition of CME.
The CME activity must address an educational need (knowledge, competence or performance) that underlies the professional practice gaps of that activity’s learners.
The CME activity must present content appropriate in depth and scope for the intended physician learners.
When appropriate to the activity and the learners, the accredited provider should communicate the identified educational purpose and/or objectives for the activity, and provide clear instructions on how to successfully complete the activity.
The CME activity must utilize one or more learning methodologies appropriate to the activity’s educational purpose and/or objectives.
The CME activity must provide an assessment of the learner that measures achievement of the educational purpose and/or objective of the activity.
The CME activity must be planned and implemented in accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support: Standards to Ensure Independence in CME Activities.

B. If the learning modality is an enduring material, journal-based CME, or performance improvement CME, the accredited provider must ensure the following format-specific requirements are met:

Enduring materials will provide access to appropriate bibliographic sources to allow for further study.
Journal-based CME will include one or more peer-reviewed articles.
Performance improvement CME will:

have an oversight mechanism that assures content integrity of the selected performance measures. If appropriate, these measures should be evidence-based and well-designed.
provide clear instruction to the physician that defines the educational process of the activity (documentation, timeline).
provide adequate background information so that physicians can identify and understand the performance measures that will guide their activity and the evidence behind those measures (if applicable).
validate the depth of physician participation by a review of submitted PI CME activity documentation.
consist of the following three stages:

Stage A: learning from current practice performance assessment. Assess current practice using the identified performance measures, either through chart reviews or some other appropriate mechanism.
Stage B: learning from the application of PI to patient care. Implement the intervention(s) based on the results of the analysis, using suitable tracking tools. Participating physicians should receive guidance on appropriate parameters for applying the intervention(s).
Stage C: learning from the evaluation of the PI CME effort. Reassess and reflect on performance in practice measured after the implementation of the intervention(s), by comparing to the original assessment and using the same performance measures. Summarize any practice, process and/or outcome changes that resulted from conducting the PI CME activity.

More Information

“Proposed Simplification of Requirements for Accredited CME Activities Certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is appended to this news release.
Respond to the call for comment here.
Download the shared glossary.
CME providers: please contact info@accme.org for more information.

PCORI Engagement Award: Knowledge, Training and Development, and Dissemination Awards

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 14:43:40 GMT

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) plans to award $20.5 million as part of the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program. These awards support projects that encourage active integration of patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders as integral members of the patient-centered outcomes research/clinical effectiveness research (PCOR/CER) enterprise.

View additional details

ACCME Announces New Logo and Provider Marks

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 18:06:08 GMT

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) is pleased to present a new logo, tagline, and color palette that emphasize the lifelong journey of learning and celebrate the forward trajectory of the continuing medical education (CME) community. New marks are also available for CME providers to communicate their accreditation status. A video about these new endeavors is found below or you can view the ACCME's press release.

NAMEC's Annual Meeting Draws Strong Attendance

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 20:12:07 GMT

NAMEC held it's annual Business Meeting during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions meeting in San Francisco on January 28th. The meeting was well attended. The organization is making plans for 2017 to attract additional medical education companies to join and get involved.

The organization recognized the 2016 Award Winners. The 2016 NAMEC Best Practice in Educational Design and Evaluation Award was presented to CME Outfitters for "Integrating the Patient Voice into Medical Education to Drive Learning and Behavior Change".

The 2016 NAMEC Best Practice in Learner Outcomes Award was presented to Paradigm Medical Communications for "Trust Your Gut: Improving the Physician Assistant’s Acumen in Identifying and Managing Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Chronic Idiopathic Constipation"

Pictures from the event are found below. Thanks to all who attended!

ACCME Creates Flowchart for Identifying and Resolving Personal Conflicts of Interest

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 19:41:40 GMT

ACCME requirements are designed to ensure that accredited continuing medical education (CME) provides a safe place for learning—independent of commercial interests and commercial influence. They have released a tutorial and flowchart for navigating relevant financial relationships and resolving conflicts of interests in CME activities.

View additional details here.

Genentech call for grant notifications

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 26 Jan 2017 14:50:49 GMT

View Genentech document with call for grant notifications released January 23, 2017 - click here

Summary: Through this specific Call for Grant Notification, Genentech is seeking to support grants by evolving knowledge-based medical education into “healthcare Improvement” initiatives with the purpose of accelerating the awareness and application of evidence-based medicine into relevant, measurable, clinical outcomes. These grants are to remain independent, accurate, fair-balanced in nature, and must meet the highest ethical U.S. Standards of Commercial Support; the grants are not required to be certified for credit if there are valid reasons for that decision.

Sanofi Oncology 2017 RFP - Invitation to Submit a Grant Proposal

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 19:23:29 GMT

You are invited to submit a grant proposal to address the educational need outlined in the attached document.

Please review and return your completed proposal via the sanofi U.S. Grant Website at https://sgrants.envisionpharma.com/vt_sgrants/ by 5p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

If a submission is not completed by this date, your proposal will not be accepted.

Therapeutic Area: Oncology

Area of Interest: Prostate Cancer

“Please note that an applicant may be ineligible to receive a grant in response to this RFP if the applicant has performed any services under contract with

sanofi U.S. during the last 12 months in connection with:

A consultant meeting; or
An advisory board meeting

in the same therapeutic area as this request for proposal (“RFP”).

If the applicant has performed such services, please forward a copy of the contract immediately, prior to responding to the RFP, so that we can determine your

eligibility. If not, please acknowledge this in your application writing.”

Please note that you must select the type of activity that you are proposing, i.e., Live, Enduring or Live and Enduring and answer the question, “Are you responding to an RFP”.

Submission instructions are available on the website. If you have a content question, please contact Malika Wicks at Malika.Wicks@sanofi.com.

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 15:27:40 GMT

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of Directors

Please note: The deadline for submission extended to November 2, 2016

This is a call for nominations to fill 3 seats on the NAMEC Board of Directors including:

1 Secretary position (3 year term)
2 Director positions (3 year term)

Duties of Secretary

The Secretary will be responsible for maintaining records of NAMEC business and NAMEC Board of Director meetings
The Secretary will be responsible for overseeing the NAMEC Board of Directors and Officers election process
The Secretary will be responsible for overseeing the Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards process
The Secretary must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (usually held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Nominees for Secretary must be drawn from the current NAMEC Board of Directors and Officers.

Duties of Directors

Candidates must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (usually held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Candidates must be willing to Chair standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Candidates should also be willing to serve as an officer of the organization (officers are elected by the membership from the members of the Board)

Qualifications of Nominees

Those nominated should be employed by a NAMEC member organization in good standing and have at least 3 years experience in the CME industry
All nominees should possess leadership ability, a high degree of personal and professional integrity, and the ability to recruit members to the organization and volunteers to support our activities
In addition, the organization encourages individuals with one or more of the following characteristics, which have been identified as critical skills/qualifications for Board members:
- Familiarity with changes in healthcare and medical education, particularly the role of CME in improving the quality and safety of patient care
- CME regulatory expertise
- Experience related to MEC public relations and/or advocacy
- Strong skills in business, marketing, and/or communications
- Knowledge of adult education principles

Terms of Office

The Secretary is selected by vote of the membership to serve a 3-year term
Each director is selected by vote of the membership and serves a 3-year term

Nomination and Election Process

To be eligible for nomination, candidates must be members of organizations that meet the definition of “full voting”
Any representative of a “full voting” organization may make a nomination, including a self-nomination
Candidates must submit the following information to the NAMEC Business Office, info@NAMEC-assn.org by November 14, 2016:
- A biographical sketch of no more than 350 words
- A “statement of philosophy” pertinent to the goals and mission of the organization of no more than 350 words
- A picture to include on the ballot

The Nomination and Elections Committee will review the submissions, prepare the slate of candidates, and email a ballot to the “primary” member of each “full voting” organization. All ballots (1 from each member organization) must be cast on or before December 2, 2016
The results of the election will be announced at the Annual NAMEC Meeting, to be held in January, 2017 during the ACEHP Annual Meeting

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics

NAMEC Board of Directors’ and Officers’ Code of Ethics statement

As a member of the NAMEC Board of Directors I will:

Ensure that my fiduciary duty to NAMEC is the foundation for all of my actions as a Board member
Represent the interests of all members served by NAMEC
Refrain from using my service on the NAMEC Board primarily for my own personal advantage
Keep confidential any information so designated by the Board of Directors
Approach all Board issues with an open mind, listen respectfully to the opinions of my Board colleagues, and make decisions based on the best interests of NAMEC and its members
Act with the authority of NAMEC only when such authority is delegated to me by the Board or the bylaws
Sign or e-mail an agreement attesting to this policy

All interested candidates should forward their biographical sketch, statement of philosophy, and photograph to the NAMEC Business Office by November 14, 2016.

Email: info@NAMEC-assn.org

Website: http://www.NAMEC-assn.org

If you have questions regarding the nominations process or the duties of Officers and Directors, please contact Chris Bolwell at C.Bolwell@imedex.com or Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

ABMS Portfolio Program pilot

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 17:52:28 GMT

Continuing Medical Education organizations can now explore participation in the ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program™ as part of a new, one-year pilot. The pilot allows these organizations to offer their physicians one-year access to Portfolio Program benefits without committing to becoming full participating sponsors.

Click here for additional information.

2016 NAMEC Awards Announcement

NAMEC Staff — Tue, 11 Oct 2016 12:59:55 GMT

October 11, 2016

Dear NAMEC Colleagues:

The NAMEC Awards Committee will begin accepting nominations for the 11^th Annual NAMEC Best Practice Awards on Monday, October 17^th. NAMEC encourages all member organizations to submit a nomination in each of the competitive categories. Criteria and nomination processes are included in this email.

This year NAMEC will recognize outstanding achievement in the following categories:

Best Practice in Educational Design
Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders
Best Practice in Learner Outcomes
Best Practice in Quality Improvement CME
Best Practice in Professional Development
Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award

All nominations should be received no later than Monday, November 21, 2016. Please send your recommendations to NAMEC at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

Recipients will have the opportunity to discuss their activities during the NAMEC Annual Meeting, to be held during the ACEHP Conference in ACEHP Conference in San Francisco, California January 26 – 29, 2017.

If you have questions about the awards please, contact Chris Bolwell at c.bolwell@imedex.com or Kurt Boyce at kboyce@appliedcme.com.

Thank you for your continued support of NAMEC.

Best Regards,

NAMEC Awards Committee

Awards Cover Sheet (for submission)

Awards Process document (detailing key information relative to the awards)

The Top Reasons to Pursue a Nursing Career

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 14:39:54 GMT

The Top Reasons to Pursue a Nursing Career

Nursing is a very noble and respected career option which gives you the opportunity to care for others, be there for people when they need it the most, and even save lives. A nursing career is one which is highly rewarding and gratifying, and many who choose to go down this career path get a lot of joy and satisfaction from the work that they do. If you are a naturally caring person who is considering studying for a degree in order to work in the medical industry, we’ve listed some of the main reasons why nursing is a wonderful choice to make.

Great Job Security

Studying for a nursing qualification, such as this online nursing program available from a respected nursing school, gives you the opportunity to enter a career path which provides a huge amount of job security. Currently, the demand for nurses in the U.S is growing at a rapid rate, with more and more registered nurses needed in order to ensure that there is an adequate level of health care available for the aging population. By training as a nurse, you will enjoy a lifelong career with plenty of opportunities.

Development Opportunities

Completing an online nursing degree in order to become a qualified, registered nurse is often the first step in a lucrative medical career for many. Becoming qualified as a nurse means that you will be able to take extra courses and modules in order to train in more advanced areas of nursing, for example becoming a nurse practitioner or a nurse anesthetist. When it comes to branching out and widening your professional knowledge, experience and skills, nursing is one of the best career options to go for.

No Two Days the Same

If you are someone who is looking for an exciting and fast-paced career which throws the unexpected at you continuously, nursing is the perfect choice. As a nurse, you’ll be dealing with a whole range of situations, from working with patients in the emergency room to visiting patients at their homes. Nursing is a career that requires professionals to be versatile and able to learn continuously in order to be able to easily deal with a variety of different situations all the time.

Make a Difference

It may seem like a cheesy reason, but nursing really is the ideal choice of career option for anyone who hopes to be able to make a difference in the lives of others throughout their career. If you’re hoping for a career which will bring you happiness by allowing you to help others through tough times in life, becoming a registered nurse could be the best decision that you ever make. For many patients, it is the caring nurses who help them to get through times of poor health and worry.

Nursing may be a demanding and tiring profession, but the benefits certainly make it worth it. If you’re looking for a career option which allows you to help others whilst progressing and enjoying great job security at the same time, nursing is the perfect choice.

Private Education Company for sale

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 21 Sep 2016 14:11:19 GMT

Small private education company (ACCME accredited) for sale. Their portfolio includes a well established library of online courses and video lectures, live conferences, and joint sponsorship business. Please direct inquiries to Bill Whitaker at bwhit3000@gmail.com.

Still Time to Register for "Getting Started with Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education"

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 16:26:00 GMT

You still have time to register for the Sept. 23 course "Getting Started with Joint Accreditation Workshop". You can access information about this event here: Joint Accreditation Workshop

Several RFPs from BMS nearing due dates

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 16:53:19 GMT

See below or http://www.bms.com/responsibility/grantsandgiving/support/Pages/Request-for-Proposal.aspx

Open RFPs/RFEs

RFP/RFE Code	RFP/RFE Issue date	Area of Interest	Type of Request	RFP/RFE Title	LOR Due Date
RFE-16-ONC-302	7/14/2016	Immuno-Oncology Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)	Independent Medical Education	Request for Proposal	August 29, 2016 at 5pm EDT
RFE-16-ONC-307	7/14/2016	Immuno-Oncology Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM)	Independent Medical Education	Request for Proposal	August 29, 2016 at 5pm EDT
RFE-16-ONC-306	5/27/2016	Immuno-Oncology and the Management of Renal Cell Carcinoma and Bladder Cancer	Independent Medical Education	Request for Education (RFE-16-ONC-306): Oncology	9/12/2016

If you have any questions regarding an open RFP/RFE, please email grantsandgiving@bms.com

ACCME Releases 2015 Annual Report

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 14:36:52 GMT

The ACCME has released a 2015 annual report that includes data on the number of providers, size, activity types, income provider types, commercial support, and more. You can access the report here.

Advancing the Treatment of Focal Seizures in the Intensive Care Setting.

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 13:16:00 GMT

UCB, Inc Medical Educational Grants
Medical Affairs
Request for Proposal (RFP)
Advancing the Treatment of Focal Seizures in the Intensive Care Setting

The Proposal Deadline is October 7, 2016.

Click here to access full proposal

NAMEC Board Members in Action

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 19:21:15 GMT

Below are NAMEC Board Member Matthew Horn's comments to the FDA’s DSaRM/AADPAC Joint Meeting.

My name is Matthew Horn, I am a licensed physician, board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, with many years of experience in managing pain in clinical practice, including the prescribing of opioids. For the last ten years, I have been focused on developing continuing medical education, including many activities on improving pain management. I am currently employed as a Senior Medical Director at Rockpointe Corporation, a medical education company. We are currently working with several partners to implement an ER/LA opioid REMS educational series, supported by a grant from the RPC committee. This initiative involves a series of live educational sessions at regional pain management conferences throughout the United States. For the last 6 years, I have also served on the board of directors of the National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC), where I’ve had discussions with others developing opioid REMS education. I mention this so that the committee understands that my opinions, while solely my own, have been shaped by input received from many colleagues involved in pain management and others in general clinical practice, key opinion leaders and faculty in pain management, attendees of pain management conferences, and other professionals involved in the development of education on pain management, as well as, from patients in pain.

I would also like to mention that I have received no compensation to cover my time and travel to speak here today.

First, I would like to thank the FDA for seeing CME as a valuable tool in the fight against the opioid crisis, while still remaining cognizant of the needs of pain patients, for therapies that help them overcome and live with their pain. I would also like to state my general agreement with the FDA that pain management education is both necessary and effective in improving pain management and reducing the risks of abuse and addiction. Preliminary outcomes from our ongoing series revealed that 99% of participants rated the education as “most valuable” or “valuable” in terms of improving their practice and over 95% of participants stated that they were better able to meet each individual goal of the educational blueprint as a result of participation.

Yet despite the success of such programs, there are several areas where the REMS program could be improved upon. For one, the program is considerably behind stated goals for the number of prescribing clinicians receiving this education. One reason for this is that there simply aren’t enough opportunities, with the RPC having difficulty keeping up with demand. My company, alone, applied for seven different grants over the course of 4 years before receiving a grant for our current series. Another provider we work with created an activity based on the blueprint that resulted in over 32,000 completions by physicians with schedule II and III DEA licenses and over 10,000 self-reported ER-LA opioid prescribers, but those completions will not be counted towards the FDA’s goals because the education was not funded/approved by the RPC. In fact, there are a great number of activities that are not being counted towards the FDA’s goals. Several federal, state, and local government agencies are promoting education on the safe prescribing of opioids, which causes confusion for the physicians, as many believe they have received ER-LA REMS education but yet are counted in separate programs. A wider acceptance of education that covers the material should be considered, rather than only considering education funded through the RPC, as is the case in the current REMS program.

The program being voluntary for clinicians also plays a part in the low participation rates thus far. In our current activities we see a significant drop off between the number of physicians with DEA licenses and the number or physicians who report that they are ER-LA opioid prescribers. And this number of self-reporting prescribers is highly discrepant from the number of prescriptions currently being written. I believe that a better measure of the program should be prescribers with DEA licenses. This change could easily be done within the current program. Clinicians are very familiar with continuing education credits being required for state licensure, hospital privileges, and, even, for obtaining in-network status with insurance providers.

I recommend that the DEA-issued license, required for prescribing controlled substances, be linked to a certain number of hours per year or relicensing period. This would be seen more as a sensible approach to safe prescribing rather than a potential regulatory burden or punitive measure. This approach would also insure that all opioid prescribers receive continuing updates rather than a single certificate for completing a single activity by a subset of opioid prescribers, who take the education voluntarily.

Requiring all elements of the blueprint on each activity results in far too much information to be learned at once, lessening the skills gained. Our own activity takes over 3 hours to complete in person or online. A completion of hours approach would allow a broader range of pain education to count towards the goals, while also allowing for more in depth coverage of individual topics, permitting learners to increase abilities according to their specific needs. This approach would also be better at overcoming the lack of adequate education that clinicians received when initially trained, especially those in primary care, where most pain is managed and most opioid prescriptions are written.

A single REMS program covering all opioids should be strongly considered. The implementation of the current program that only applies to extended release and long acting opioids is likely leading to increased use of immediate acting opioids over long acting forms. This is not necessarily in the best interest of patients nor efforts to curb the risks of opioid abuse and addiction. A single REMS program that encompasses all opioids would prevent any other unintended consequences.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not address the fact that continuing education alone, is unlikely to be enough to fully impact our pain management and opioid abuse problems. Several system changes are needed, including more comprehensive pain and pain management education in medical, nursing, and pharmacy schools, increased government and private insurance coverage of other treatment modalities, including physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, and other complimentary treatments, and a less stigmatic and punitive approach towards pain sufferers and prescribing clinicians than is currently seen in other government agencies’ approaches toward managing these issues.

In summary, I would recommend that the panel consider a single REMS program for all forms of opioids, that continues to include continuing education on safe and effective pain management as a critical component, but that ties this ongoing education to DEA licensure, making it mandatory, as opposed to just being available to self-reported prescribers on a voluntary basis.

This improved REMS program should also allow for a wider range of educational activities on pain management to count towards fulfilling the educational mandate, including those that cover individual elements of the blueprint, without the need to cover all of the blueprint at once, and not requiring that the education come solely through RPC funding/approval.

The FDA committee should also lead the call for other government agencies to work together to implement some of the other solution oriented recommendations that I have made, such as promoting greater insurance coverage of other treatment modalities and a more collaborative approach towards pain sufferers and their prescribing clinicians.

Thank you for your consideration.

Matthew D. Horn, MD
Senior Medical Director, Rockpointe Corporation/Potomac Center for Medical Education
Director, Executive Board, National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC)

NAMEC supports CME Coalition efforts for CME in Sunshine Reporting Act

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 19:14:20 GMT

NAMEC is proud to offer our support for the CME Coalition's efforts on behalf of the CME Community and to share this information with our members on the congressional bill currently being discussed that would clarify the exemption of accredited CME from the Sunshine Reporting Act.

Found below is a letter of support from the CME Coalition to Senator Barasso, who introduced the bill to the Senate yesterday, and the draft of the bill.

Letter of support - CME Coalition

Provider Payment Sunshine Act draft bill

Additional information about the CME Coalition efforts regarding submitting comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servcies (CMS) is available on their web site.

ACHL's Award for Best Practice in Collaboration

NAMEC Staff — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 20:43:58 GMT

ACHL was presented with the NAMEC Award for Best Practice in Collaboration. View details on this program:

ABMS Multispecialty Portfolio Approval Program Announces Pilot Program Launching in 2016

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 15:21:03 GMT

Multispecialty Portfolio Approval Program Announces Part II - Part IV Linkage Pilot Program Launching in 2016

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Multispecialty Portfolio Approval ProgramTM (Portfolio Program) is pleased to introduce a new, two-year pilot, scheduled to launch on April 1, 2016. The pilot will allow physicians in Portfolio Program sponsor-organizations, (certified by the 19 of the 20 Portfolio Program[1] participating ABMS Member Boards) to receive Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part II and Part IV credit for participating in live, Continuing Medical Education (CME) accredited, lifelong learning/self-assessment activities that are specifically and proactively linked to an "Improvement in Medical Practice" initiative.

If you are interested in participating in the pilot, or have additional questions regarding its structure and requirement, please contact Teena Nelson, MSPP Portfolio Manager, tnelson@abms.org

Dr. Peter Buch - Lecturer, new NAMEC member

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 19:52:06 GMT

Dr Peter Buch, a new member, reported a very busy summer teaching GI.

His style is always case based, practical, interactive and fun.

His audiences have included Primary Care Providers, APRNs, PAs, Nurses, housestaff, GI fellows and Gastroenterologists.

Dr Buch is passionate about teaching and he especially likes the interaction with the audience.

"The interactions and questions always help me improve my lectures."

Dr Buch is currently planning 2016 lectures and would enjoy collaborating with you.

He may be reached at CTGIMD@aol.com or 860-573-1217

News from Primary Care Network (PCN)

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 18:32:47 GMT

Dear CME friends and colleagues,

In early July of this year, Primary Care Network’s business partner, a meetings management company, abruptly ceased operations. As a result, Primary Care Network (PCN) had no choice but to cancel the scheduled 2015 fall series of Best Practices in Primary Care™ live regional meetings. Planning is currently underway to schedule a live regional meetings series in 2016.

It has come to our attention that many in the CME industry think that it was Primary Care Network (PCN) that closed its doors. The purpose of this communication is to inform the CME community that PCN is still in business and will continue to provide accreditation services, seek and execute educational grants, and partner with other medical education companies and associations on various CME initiatives. PCN is excited to continue to serve our extensive membership of primary care clinicians by providing exceptional continuing medical education and forming new relationships with educational partners in the coming year.

Primary Care Network (PCN), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1997 in Springfield, MO, is dedicated to improving patient care through quality continuing medical education (CME). PCN’s goal is to provide primary care clinicians with knowledge and resources to better serve their patients by providing the best patient-centered education and peer-to-peer opportunities. PCN is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and provides AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for CME activities in a wide variety of program formats and therapeutic areas. PCN has been surveyed by the ACCME and awarded Accreditation with Commendation for 6 years as a provider of CME (July 2013-July 2019).

Thank you for your continued support of Primary Care Network and our continuing medical education activities.

Sincerely,

Jill Hays, CHCP
Executive Director
Primary Care Network

ACCME Releases Annual Report

NAMEC Staff — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 15:44:20 GMT

ACCME's 2014 Annual Report has been released. The annual report contains a comprehensive analysis of the size and scope of the CME enterprise nationwide, presenting statistics on CME program revenue, funding, participants, activities, and activity formats.

Access the recent report as well as past reports at http://www.accme.org/news-publications/publications/annual-report-data.

If you would like to discuss anything in the report, the NAMEC Forum may be a good place to start. The forum is viewable and accessible only by current NAMEC members.

ACEhp Almanac article written by NAMEC Board of Directors

NAMEC Staff — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 21:09:45 GMT

Check out page 10 of the latest issue of the ACEhp Almanac for an article written by NAMEC Board of Directors titled, “Death of the Medical Education Company? We Think Not.”

Let us know your thoughts after reading the article by clicking "Add Comment" below (must be a logged in member to comment) or by emailing info@namec-assn.org.

Check out page 10 of the latest issue of the ACEhp Almanac for an article written by NAMEC Board of Directors titled, “Death of the Medical Education Company? We Think Not.”

Let us know your thoughts after reading the article at XXXXXX

NAMEC's Kurt Boyce Speaking at CMEpalooza

NAMEC Staff — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 19:48:28 GMT

CMEpalooza Spring is a 1-day event scheduled for Wednesday, April 8, 2015, that will feature a series of sessions selected by the CME community from a pool of submitted abstracts. Broadcasts will stream live and recorded sessions will be available for viewing shortly after their conclusion. There is no charge to view or participate in any of these sessions.

Kurt Boyce, current NAMEC Secretary, will be part of the following session:

1:00 PM ET
Achieving Level 7 Outcomes: A MEC Perspective
This session will discuss the results of an award-winning educational initiative demonstrating outcomes at Moore’s level 7. Developed via collaboration between two medical education companies and a coalition of diverse educational partners, this initiative demonstrates how an innovative blend of professional and patient education (certified and noncertified) can lead to better clinical performance, improved patient health, and reduced health care costs. It also will address the initiative history, activity design, audience generation methods, and results of this long-term educational intervention.

Presenters
Kurt J. Boyce, Director, CME & Compliance, Applied Clinical Education
Amanda Glazar, PhD, CHCP, Senior Director, Education Srategy, Global Education Group

See more at http://cmepalooza.com/spring/

ACCME Releases Call for Comment

(Past member) — Thu, 19 Dec 2013 14:37:23 GMT

ACCME Releases Call for Comment on Simplification Proposal

See you in Jan at the 2014 Alliance CEhp

(Past member) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 15:43:50 GMT

2014 Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions

39th Annual Conference

STAMP YOUR PASSPORT TO INNOVATION

January 15-18, 2014

Orlando, FL

Call for Nominations for the NAMEC Board of Directors

Wed, 11 Dec 2013 15:25:00 GMT

This is a call for nominations to fill 4 seats on the NAMEC Board of Directors including:

1 Secretary (3 year term)
3 Director Position (2 year terms)

Duties of Secretary

The Secretary will give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of members and directors and all other notices required by the NAAMECC By-Laws
The Secretary will record and maintain all the proceedings of the meetings of the members and of the directors, and he shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to him by the President
The Secretary will have custody of the seal of the Corporation and shall affix the same to all instruments requiring it, when authorized by the Board of Directors or the President, and attest the same
The Secretary will oversee the operation of NAMEC election process
The Secretary will oversee the operation of the NAMEC Annual Best Practice Award process

Duties of Directors

Candidates must be willing to, at minimum, attend 1 face-to face board meeting per year (held during the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference), participate on Board conference calls (approximately monthly) and participate with standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Candidates must be willing to Chair standing and ad hoc committees as requested by the President
Candidates should also be willing to serve as an officer of the organization (officers are elected by the membership from the members of the Board)

Candidates must submit their information to the NAMEC Business Office, info@NAMEC-assn.org by December 13 , 2013:

NAMEC President Quoted on American Medical News Website

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:46:07 GMT

Marissa Seligman, PharmD, CCMEP, FACEHP, NAMEC President has been quoted in an article featured on the American Medical News Website. The article, by Pamela Lewis Dolan is called "Physician interest in online CME is strong". Please click the link to read the entire article and the mention of NAMEC! Congrats Marissa!

Flashpoint News Moves to Once a Month - See Survey Results Here

(Past member) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:10:10 GMT

Upon surveying the NAMEC member base, the NAMEC Communications Committee, along with the help from your survey results, have decided to move the release date of Flashpoint News to once a month. For the past two years, we have been sending out Flashpoint News twice a month, every other Wednesday, with large dedication from the Communications team. With the results and insightful comments from our members, we will now be releasing Flashpoint once a month. To see the survey results, click here. You will see a majority of 72% would like to view the newsletter monthly, as opposed to bi-monthly. We will also heavily rely on our Twitter account as well as LinkedIn page for other communications. Please contact us with any questions or concerns related to NAMEC Communications.

The NAMEC Business Office

Flashpoint News Archive Has Been Updated

(Past member) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:08:34 GMT

If you are behind in your reading and looking to catch up, the Flashpoint News Archive has been updated for your reading pleasure. Stay up to date with all NAMEC News and Updates, as well as work done by our fabulous committees! Most recently the Advocacy Committee and the NAMEC Board have been hard at work releasing our official response regarding the Sunshine Act. We also collected and collaborated the results from the survey filled out by our members. You can read more about this in the News Section, or in your bi-monthly edition of Flashpoint News!

The NAMEC Business Office

NAMEC Response Regarding Transparency Provisions; HHS Sunshine Act

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:08:38 GMT

We are pleased to provide you with a copy of the NAMEC letter that was prepared in response to the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) and Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued proposed rules regarding the Transparency Provisions (“Sunshine”) of the Affordable Healthcare Act . This letter represents the opinion of the NAMEC Executive Officers and Board of Directors on behalf of our members. We welcome your thoughts, comments or other feedback. We are going to submit our final letter to CMS/HHS by February 17th.

HHS Transparency Regs_official response_FINAL.pdf
Copy of NAMEC SUNSHINE survey_for modification_new version.xlsx
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/impactsunshine
Link to the CME Coalition website w/resources on the Sunshine Act: http://cmecoalition.org

PowerPoint from NAMEC Membership Meeting Released - Alliance 2012

(Past member) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:42:42 GMT

Hello Members,

If you were not able to attend the NAMEC Educational Session at the Alliance meeting in Orlando this year, we have attached the PowerPoint below for your viewing pleasure.

NAMEC Member Meeting at ACME 1 22 12 PowerPoint Presentation.pptx

Here is a link to the slideshow of photos:

http://www.filesanywhere.com/vwr/ElinkImageViewer.aspx?W=1014&H=690&FILEID=1654793&PFI=1654793&PATH=%5cCMEOUTFITTERS%5cLV-001+Peer+Review%5cNAMEC+Pictures%5c

Thank you!

The NAMEC Educational Session, Awards Ceremony & Members Meeting at the 37th ACME Conference in Orlando, FL

(Past member) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 18:49:21 GMT

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

NAMEC is more than excited for our meeting on Sunday, January 22, 2012 at the JW Marriott in Orlando, FL. The NAMEC Program Committee has been working hard to put together a good Panel, and we have added some segments to the meeting that are innovational and engaging. You will NOT want to miss this meeting! And here's 4 reason's why....

1. We will open this years meeting with a mix and mingle "wine-down", offering a complimentary first beverage to all who attend. Light appetizers will also be served, as we all know, it will have been a long day of sessions and we deserve it!

2. After we all get comfortable in our seats, the 6th Annual Best Practices Awards Ceremony will begin. We will announce the winners in Best Practice Educational Design & Evaluation, Best Practice in Collaboration Among CME Stakeholders, Best Practice in Professional Development, and the highly acclaimed and respected Brian P. Russell Exemplary CME Professional Award. This year we will be blessed with the presence of Brian P. Russell's parents themselves who will be there to distribute the award.

3. Directly after the Ceremony and pictures, the NAMEC Educational Session will begin with an esteemed panel on some hard-hitting topics. As usual, there will be time for Q&A from the audience.

4. But don't fade out just yet! Before we close the meeting we will hold two drawing for our Raffle of the Kindle Fire - Full Color 7" Multi-Touch Display with Wi-Fi (ooh's and ahh's inserted here) & a NOOK Simple Touch, the same great product won by 2 lucky members last year! If you're wanting the Kindle Fire as bad as I am, we have a way for you to DOUBLE your chances to win it! Simply bring with you a guest who is currently NOT a NAMEC Member, but is considering joining. By recruiting a potential member and bringing them along with you, your name will be added TWICE to the drawing for the Kindle Fire!

As you can see, this year's meeting is exceeding the limits of previous NAMEC Meetings. With the presence of Jean and Paul Russell alone, the meeting holds a new meaning for us all. We really hope you can attend.

CURRENT PROGRAM AGENDA: (to date)

SUNDAY, January 22, 2012

START TIME: 6:30 PM

END TIME: 8:30 PM

LOCATION: PALAZZO ROOM at the JW Marriott, Orlando

Meeting Called to Order!

*If you plan on having a glass of wine, please try to make it 5 minutes early, thank you!*

6:30 - 7:00 Awards Ceremony

7:00 - 8:00 Panel/ Education Session

8:00 - 8:20 NAMEC Official Business Meeting

8:20 - 8:30 Raffle of Kindle Fire & Nook Touch

Meeting Adjourned!

Questions or concerns? Contact Anna at the NAMEC Business Office by email: anna@namec-assn.org or by phone: 205-824-7612.

REMS Initiative: Blueprint For Prescriber Training Program

(Past member) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:27:48 GMT

December 7, 2011

Division of Dockets Management

Food and Drug Administration

5630 Fishers Lane

Room 1061, HFA-305

Rockville, MD 20852

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC), a non-profit organization comprised of health care educators and their companies, applauds the Food and Drug Administration in its efforts to create risk evaluation management strategies (REMS) that formally incorporate continuing education for the health professions. NAMEC has reviewed and extends its support to the FDA’s recently released Blueprint for Prescriber Education for the Long-Acting/Extended-Release Opioid Class-Wide REMS (Docket No. FDA-2011-D-0771). FDA’s recognition of the challenges posed in balancing appropriate pain management with the potential for misuse or abuse of long-acting opioids is demonstrated through this significant action in improvement of patient care.

Continue reading here: Blueprint for Prescriber Training Program final 10-25-11.pdf

Summary of NAMEC Educational Session at 2011 Task Force

(Past member) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:29:59 GMT

On September 22, 2011 NAMEC held an educational session for all members. During this session members participated in a Rapid Exchange which consisted of five tables, each with a unique topic facilitated by a NAMEC member. Topics included: Collaboration, Funding, Outcomes, Professional Development, and Social Media. Attending members were free to rotate every 10 minutes to a new table, while each facilitator initiated and guided conversation on their topic.

Key takeaways from each table include:

collaboration facilitator: marc l. mosier, md

Collaboration can mean many things to different people depending upon their business strategy and focus. Participants were engaged and offered valuable insight into the benefits and challenges of collaborating with various partners, including academia, societies, faculty, payers and other third party organizations to deliver effective continuing medical education.

Overwhelmingly, most participants spoke to the critical need to carefully choose whom they collaborate with and base their choices on a proven track record of delivering to specific expectations in a timely manner. Early and regular communication helps to clearly identify and define goals and expectations so as to ensure alignment and success of the collaboration. Several spoke to the challenges of becoming involved in multi-partner collaborations due to the variance in shared goals and difficulty in moving the relationship forward.

While many collaborations are developed for the short-term fulfillment of objectives, many felt they were increasingly receptive to becoming involved in extended long-term initiatives. This only happens after both collaborating partners have come to know each other and have grown to adapt to each other’s often changing priorities. Platform approaches are not preferred by many Educational Partners & MECCs due to the perception that their value is “watered down” or diminished by participating alongside competitors on the same platform. Those MECCs operating as a “platform often act as a “distribution channel” and embrace collaboration with other partners to expand their own value to the external community.

funding facilitator: antwoine l. shepard

Funding challenges have grown as the climate surrounding industry-funded CME has evolved. Participants shared anecdotes and strategies regarding their experiences in funding, especially regarding alternative funding models.

Most participants have considered alternative funding models; however few have successfully funded CME programs without traditional industry support. Some participants have had success receiving government funding which most agreed requires a long-term relationship building strategy. Others have had some limited success with foundations and global corporations. Not only do these avenues require long-term relationship building, but also education as many are not aware of the existence, importance, and relevance of CME.

Also of note, most participants discussed the challenges involved with securing funding from multiple supporters. Conflicting supporter funding cycles and interests were among the chief challenges cited. Nearly all participants had at some point recently returned funds to supporters because they were unable to adequately multi-fund a program.

Despite the difficult landscape many participants were optimistic about the future, noting that their funding strategies were improving.

outcomes facilitator: mindi daiga

Outcomes have become increasingly relevant as the CME landscape has changed. Many participants noted that different definitions or interpretations of Moore’s Levels are still being used, and felt that PACME and NAMEC should collaborate on common lexicon and expectations. Also, interest was expressed in creating a Forum for Supporters to provider general feedback to providers on outcome need and expectation. This doesn’t have to be specific to activity or provider, but could assist providers in improving methods and reports.

The skill set needed to collect and analyze data, and create a report for publishing isn’t an “inherent” proficiency of many CME professionals, and many noted that internal resources need to be developed or external resources used to complete these tasks. Also, providers need to find the time, resources, and expertise to facilitate publishing their outcomes in peer-reviewed medical journals and submitting abstracts to medical conferences to support the value of CME.

Outcomes data should be shared with faculty post-activity and used to engage faculty in discussion for future activities. It is important that faculty understand that outcomes might not be as rigorous as a clinical trial or other scientific research; however they are based on validated approaches and accepted methodologies!

professional development facilitator: kristin fludder

Many of the participants were not CCMEP certified but expressed an interest in getting study material to prepare for the test. A few suggestions for study material included reviewing and understanding the ACCME accreditation criteria and policies/procedures as there are many questions related to those topics on the exam. The Alliance website was another suggestion and the group praised the revamp of the website last year, making it a valuable resource for professional development. Another suggestion was forming a study group for NAMEC members facilitated by someone who is CCMEP certified.

Also, participants noted that there were few job opportunities as companies have downsized or closed. Many were interested in ways to network and stay involved in CME. Some felt the job board on the NAMEC website should be greater utilized.

social media facilitator: derek warnick

Social media continues to be used experimentally, and only a small percentage of participants were currently developing strategies. A few are using Twitter to promote activities and participant learning, but even fewer are using it as part of their personal learning network.

Nearly no one had participated in #CMEchat. Few mentioned they had "lurked", but not participated.

The majority of participants had a LinkedIn account and most are part of the CME group. Very few have started a discussion or commented on a discussion.

Some participants mentioned they have incorporated social media or Web 2.0 into their CME programs. The most common tool mentioned was adding a moderated comments section to an online CME activity.

PowerPoint from NAMEC Membership Meeting Released

(Past member) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:51:00 GMT

Hello! If we were fortunate enough to get to see you at the NAMEC Member Meeting and Educational Session in Baltimore on September 22nd, we thank you! If you did not get to attend, we will have a summary for you in Flashpoint News. I have also posted the top news for our members via PowerPoint.

Please click here for the PowerPoint.

New Board of Directors Announcement

(Past member) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 17:51:26 GMT

NAMEC is proud to announce our new President Marissa Seligman, PharmD, CCMEP! With a huge thanks to Chris Bolwell, BSc for his term as President, he comfortably slides into the Past-President role with a great year under his belt.

Joseph Kim, MD now takes on the President-Elect position.

We also would like to give a warm welcome to Paul Cook from Applied Clinical Education and Logan Thomison from OptumHealth Education for being elected to NAMEC's Board of Directors.

We would also like to thank our Board Member's whose terms have expired. Scott Hershman, MD, CCMEP served a great term with NAMEC and his contributions to helping update our Organizational Goals, Mission and Bylaws are just some of the work accomplished with Scott on board.

A special thanks goes out to Sandy Weaver, who has been serving NAMEC for the past 9 years on and off the Board. Her dedication to NAMEC does not go unnoticed! Thank you for some wonderful years Sandy!

Call for Nominations: NAMEC Board of Directors

(Past member) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:10:22 GMT

The NAMEC Nominations Committee is accepting nominations to fill a minimum of 3 seats on the NAMEC Board of Directors. Please see the attached PDF file (call for nominations) for details regarding the duties and qualifications of the vacant positions along with the process for submitting your nomination. Please share this with other members of your organization who may not be aware.

Please email your nomination documents to the NAMEC Business Office (info@NAMEC-ASSN.org) on or before August, 26, 2011. (Self nominations are welcome and encouraged.)

The nomination and voting process will be done electronically this year for your convenience.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW NAMEC 2011_2012 Call for Nominations

NAMEC - Official Response to ACCME Call For Comments

(Past member) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:43:24 GMT

DATE: Wednesday, June 08, 2011

RE: NAMEC’S RESPONSE TO the ACCME Call for Comment

I am writing as President-elect of the National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC). NAMEC thanks the ACCME for this call for comment on changing the ACCME policy regarding commercial support attribution. NAMEC believes that the current ACCME policy achieves its desired objectives and should not be changed. NAMEC puts forth that the current ACCME policy works because it is clear to providers what is allowed and what is not and charges providers with the definitive responsibility for establishing and enforcing their policy and procedures consistent with the ACCME’s requirements. NAMEC feels that ACCME’s requirement to providers that commercial support attribution be at the corporate level only, with prohibition of any use of or reference to product names, meets learners’ and the public’s expectations for provider transparency and disclosure as well as ensuring appropriate firewalls between education and promotion. NAMEC believes that with ACCME's support and continued guidance providers can work within the existing ACCME standards to ensure that the commercial support policy is adhered to and that firewalls are maintained and strengthened. Thank you.

-Marissa Seligman, PharmD, CCMEP

NAMEC

NAMEC - Official Response to CEJA

(Past member) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:11:09 GMT

NAMEC COMMENTS TO AMA CEJA REGARDING CEJA REPORT 1-A-11

The National Association of Medical Education Companies, Inc. (NAMEC) is the trade organization representing U.S. medical education companies, as well as the clinical faculty, expert contributors and physician and allied healthcare professionals who participate in the scores of member-developed certified continuing medical education (CME) initiatives.

NAMEC’s mission is to promote best practices in CME that meet the many and detailed requirements set forth by accrediting organizations for the conduct of continuing education activities for physicians, with the goal of providing evidence-based education that improves patient care outcomes. NAMEC functions as a resource for, representative of, and advocate for the medical education companies that help employ thousands of CME professionals. NAMEC member organizations and individual members design and develop highly sophisticated and needed Certified CME activities, effectively integrating clinical expertise and adult learning principles that annually reach more than 150,000 US physicians and other healthcare professionals.

To read the full document in PDF click here.

Press Release Related to the REMS Initiative on Opiods

(Past member) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 21:33:02 GMT

From the pen of the president:

As previously mentioned, I have been working with the ACCME, ACPE and a number of CME representative organizations to produce a press release related to the REMS initiative on Opiods. This press release demonstrates our support to this initiative and explains why each of the representing organizations considers this important to the CME enterprise as a whole. We have attached a copy of the release to this article and if you support the comments with, ask that you send it out through your usual press outlets confirming your support of this initiative. I will let you know of any further developments as they occur.

To read the document, please click here.

Chris Bolwell, President NAMEC

NAMEC Letter to the Office of Inspector General

(Past member) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:45:16 GMT

NAMEC COMMENTS TO THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL

REGARDING

A ROADMAP FOR NEW PHYSICIANS

AVOIDING MEDICARE AND MEDICAID FRAUD AND ABUSE

The National Association of Medical Education Companies (NAMEC) functions as a representative of, and advocate for, the medical education companies that employ thousands of continuing medical education (CME) professionals in the U.S. who provide CME activities that reach more than 150,000 physicians and other health care professionals annually. NAMEC’s mission is to promote best practices in CME to meet the goal of providing education that improves patient care.

NAMEC applauds the Office of the Inspector General’s proactive approach to educating new physicians as they enter practice with the Roadmap for New Physicians Avoiding Medicare and Medicaid Fraud and Abuse publication. However, there are several errors and omissions about CME on page 26 of the PDF document that can cause these new physicians to have unnecessary reservations about participating in accredited CME. CME programs are designed to address physician practice deficiencies (gaps) that are well documented in all clinical areas and to unnecessarily limit the perceived range of educational choices available could have serious ramifications on patient care and outcomes.

NAMEC recommends that the following highlighted content be revised to more accurately and effectively direct new physicians to necessary quality education.

1. “It is important to distinguish between CME sessions that are educational in nature and sessions that constitute marketing by a drug or device manufacturer. Industry satellite programs that occur concurrently with a society meeting are generally promotional, even if the primary speaker is a physician who is well known in the field.”

The above does not appropriately or clearly distinguish between certified CME activities, ie, those that are produced by organizations accredited to provide education for health care professionals, from those that are produced or provided by industry, ie, promotional. It is not accurate to state or imply that most satellite programs are promotional. Additionally, the juxtaposition of these two statements incorrectly suggests that the primary criterion a physician should use to distinguish between CME and promotion is whether the program is a satellite symposium.

Many satellite symposia are certified CME programs that are supported by industry through independent educational grants, solicited and prepared under the strict and transparent requirements of accrediting organizations, rather than promotional activities. For example, the following organizations hold national congresses where all official satellite symposia must be accredited CME programs:

American Academyof Family Physicians, American Academyof Neurology, American Academyof Pediatrics, American College of Cardiology, American Society of Hematology, and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The most important aspect of determining that a program is educational rather than promotional is omitted from the section, that is, whether the program fulfills AMA PRA Category 1 requirements set by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or similar designations from American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the American Academy of Family Practice (AAFP), the American Board of Medical Specialties, or a state medical society.

For a CME program to be certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™, it must be sponsored by a CME provider that adheres to the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support^SM. These standards stipulate that commercial interests (such as drug and device manufacturers) have no control over identification of CME needs, determination of educational objectives, selection and presentation of content, or personnel involved in control of content. The Standards also require that all product-promotion material must be kept separate from CME activities, that presentations give a balanced view of all therapeutic options and that any relevant financial relationships of those in control of CME are disclosed. The AOA Guide for Commercial Supporters contains similar expectations of independence.

The distinction between CME and promotion continues to be blurred in the Roadmap with the large highlighted statement:

2. “Note that although physicians may prescribe drugs for off-label uses, it is illegal under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for drug manufacturers to promote off-label uses of drugs”.

Although accurate, the context of this statement in a section titled Continuing Medical Education, can lead the reader to erroneously conclude that any educational session, including certified CME, that addresses off-label use is violating the law. The FDA’s 1997 Guidance on Industry-Supported Scientific and Educational Activities specifically states that

“discussions of unapproved uses, which can be an important component of scientific and educational activities, are not permissible in programs that are or can be (because the provider is not functionally independent) subject to substantive influence by companies that market products related to the discussion. Thus the agency has traditionally sought to avoid regulating activities that are produced independently from the influence of companies marketing the products.” (emphasis added)

Therefore, not only is it acceptable and legal for CME to discuss off-label uses, it is the only organized educational setting where a physician may learn about such uses and be assured that the content is balanced and independent. The same FDA guidance lists the following factors as considerations for evaluating activities and determining independence, which could be a useful addition to the Roadmap:

· Control of content and selection of moderators and presenters

· Disclosures

· The focus of the program

· Relationship between provider and supporting company

· Provider involvement in sales and marketing

· Provider’s demonstrated failure to meet standards

· Multiple presentations

· Audience selection

· Dissemination

· Ancillary promotional activities

· Complaints

Lastly, the final sentence of the section on serving as faculty for industry-sponsored CME, asks

3. “Does the sponsor prepare a slide deck and speaker notes, or am I free to set the content of the lecture?”

This statement is confusing. Industry sponsors are responsible for all slide decks and speaker notes for their promotional activities. In contrast, in CME activities, it is the accredited provider and the faculty who are responsible for the content that is presented within their educational activities. Under accreditation requirements industry is prohibited from making any contribution to this content or engaging with faculty on content for the activity. An accredited CME provider, to develop a coherent educational program, must (according to the ACCME Essential Areas and Elements document):

· Incorporate into CME activities the educational needs (knowledge, competence, or performance) that underlie the professional practice gaps of their own learners

· Generate activities/educational interventions around content that matches the learners’ current or potential scope of professional activities

· Choose educational formats for activities/interventions that are appropriate for the setting, objectives and desired results of the activity

Additionally, the ACCME Policy on CME Content states that accredited providers are responsible for validating the clinical content of CME activities they provide. Specifically, 1) all the recommendations involving clinical medicine in a CME activity must be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients, and 2) all scientific research referred to, reported, or used in CME in support of or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis.

Consequently, it is the accredited CME provider, not the individual faculty, who is responsible for the overall design and conduct of an educational program. Providers apply principles of adult learning to develop unique and effective programs that go beyond mere recitation of knowledge and support enhanced competence and performance. Therefore, a framework of content and active exercises is often developed by the provider to ensure the program’s effectiveness. Faculty contribute their expertise in the subject matter within this framework. Thereafter, the provider must further assure that faculty-developed content is compatible with the learning objectives, the educational design being utilized, and the tenets of evidence-based medicine listed above to avoid introduction of personal biases of the faculty into the program.

Concerns and controls addressing CME funding, quality, and independence from bias are legitimate. However, all stakeholders, especially those representing the OIG, should be vigilant about the accuracy of stated regulations, evidence, and conclusions. The Roadmap for Physicians, Avoiding Medicare and Medicaid Fraud and Abuse should appropriately recognize

the legitimacy and vitally important role of CME in the continuous professional development of physicians and more clearly distinguish it from promotional activities. As the elected officers and directors of NAMEC, we would be more than willing to participate in discussions about this process.

Best Regards,

Chris Bolwell, BSc

President

Sandra T. Weaver, MS -- Immediate Past President Marissa Seligman, PharmD – President-Elect

Linda Coogle, MBA, CCMEP – Treasurer Kurt Boyce – Secretary

Lea Ann Hansen, PharmD, BCOP – Director Scott J. Hershman, MD, CCMEP - Director

Matthew D. Horn, MD – Director Carrie

Pedersen Hudak, MA , CCMEP - Director

Joseph Kim, MD, MPH – Director

2010 - 2011 Best Practice Awards

(Past member) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:32:17 GMT

The submissions open on Dec. 3rd for the 4th Best Practice Awards. Please visit the Awards link in the Members Only Section for more information, or email the NAMEC Headquarters at: info@namec-assn.org.

Thank you!

*Submissions are scheduled to close on Dec. 17th

The Shifting Paradigm in CME

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:11:28 GMT

The Pennsylvania Medical Society posts video on You Tube . . . Physicians discuss the benefits of new continuing medical education criteria.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1i1hXGwzIc&feature=related

Massachusetts Gubernatorial Candidates Unanimously Support Repeal of the Gift Ban

(Past member) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 19:10:41 GMT

In politics it is rare for politicians running for the same off office to agree on anything. But this week a unique agreement arose between the three gubernatorial candidates in Massachusetts.

As the negative consequences surfaced in Massachusetts on the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufactures Code of Conduct i.e. “the gift ban” and built up over time, individuals in the commonwealth running for governor realized the significant is approval of the gift ban and as a result, the State House News Service reported yesterday that whoever the next governor is, the gift ban may be gone.

http://www.policymed.com/2010/10/massachusetts-gubernatorial-candidates-unanimously-support-repeal-of-the-gift-ban.html

NAMEC History 101: Our Founding Fathers . . . and Mothers

(Past member) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:22:39 GMT

NAMEC History 101
Our Founding Fathers . . . and Mothers

For more information, visit the Honorary Members page.

NAAMECC BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Call for Nominations coming soon!

(Past member) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:19:11 GMT

NAMEC BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Call for Nominations coming soon!

NAMEC recognizes that an active Board of Directors is vital to the success of our organization. While we know that taking on a volunteer role is a tremendous investment in time, it is also a rewarding experience in the recognition of efforts and provides opportunities to build relationships within the CME Industry.

In the next few weeks, NAMEC will be distributing a Call for Nominations. Elections will then be held in September and results will be announced at the NAMEC Educational Meeting that is held in conjunction with the 21st Annual Conference of the National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration, to be held Oct.13-15, 2010 in Baltimore. The specific date and time of the NAMEC meeting will be announced in the near future.

NC-CME announces Extension of Certification program

(Past member) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:21:30 GMT

NC-CME announces Extension of Certification program

The National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals (NC-CME) is pleased to announce an Extension of Certification (EOC) program offered to Certified CME Professionals (CCMEPs) when their current certificates expire.

The EOC will serve to extend the initial 3-year certification to 5 years for candidates who fulfill the EOC eligibility requirements. Active CCMEPs may submit their EOC applications 3-6 months before the expiration date noted on their certificates. For example, the first Class of June 2008 will submit EOC applications between January 1 and March 31, 2011.Qualified candidates will receive updated certificates and will continue to be included in the National
Registry of Certified CME Professionals, accessible online at www.NC-CME.org.

Each candidate’s EOC eligibility worksheet will be reviewed for evidence of his/her own personal continuing professional development that has taken place since the initial certification date. The EOC point requirement will be 12 points, compared with 15 points required for initial certification; the EOC registration fee will be $275, compared with the initial fee of $450. Attendance at conferences and webinars, memberships in CME organizations, and volunteer work in the CME community are among the activities that may qualify toward the 12-point requirement.

Candidates for the 2-year extension will not be required to sit for an exam. When the extension period expires candidates for recertification will need to pass the exam that is being given at that time, which ensures that CCMEPs will be tested every 5 years to demonstrate that they have kept up-to-date with current CME rules and regulations.

Notices will be sent to each CCMEP 6 months before his/her certification expires. CCMEPs who allow their certification to expire, then wish to be reinstated, will be required to pass the currently available 3-hour certification exam and will need to document 15 points of education/experience in the CME field within the past 3 years.

For full details regarding EOC and recertification, go to www.NC-CME.org

NAAMECC Announces Election Results For Board Of Directors

(Past member) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 14:28:39 GMT

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Anna Trott

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

NAAMECC BUSINESS OFFICE PHONE: 205-824-7612

NAAMECC ANNOUNCES ELECTION RESULTS FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

October 14, 2008 --- The North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies (NAAMECC) today announced 2009 election results for its Board of Directors. The new officers and board members will take these positions at the October 2009 meeting of the American Medical Association’s Task Force on Industry/Provider Collaboration in Baltimore.

The New NAAMECC Board Officers are:

President: Sandra Weaver, MS
Email: sandy.weaver@comcast.net

President Elect: Chris Bolwell, BSc
Email: c.bolwell@imedex.com

Past President: Stephen M. Lewis, MA, CCMEP
Email: slewis@globaleducationgroup.com

Treasurer: Linda Coogle, MBA, CCMEP
Email: lcoogle@clinicaloptions.com

Newly elected NAAMECC Board Members are:

Kurt Boyce
Email: kurt.boyce@optumhealthed.com

Lea Ann Hansen, PharmD
Email: lhansen@educationalconcepts.net

Joseph Kim, MD, MPH
Email: jkim@medcommedia.com

About NAAMECC:

NAAMECC is the leading advocacy and education organization for medical education companies and their educational partners. NAAMECC provides member companies and the medical education professionals they employ with cutting-edge information and expert contacts to achieve success in CME.

Naamecc Business Office ~ 3416 Primm Lane ~ Birmingham, AL 35216