Medical Education

Allergan scrubs some doc-payment data, spares med-ed grants

Marc Iskowitz February 03, 2012

Allergan removed records from its website that had detailed payments made to doctors from the middle of 2010 through first-half 2011.

Video reflects struggle to keep bias out of CME

Marc Iskowitz January 20, 2012

Those who produce and fund certified medical education acknowledge that conflict of interest is one issue that seems to constantly crop up. But while conflict is inevitable, bias doesn't have to be, they insist in a new video.

Pfizer to hand some med-ed grant decisions to external advisors

Marc Iskowitz December 06, 2011

Pfizer is changing the way it funds medical education to make smarter use of a shrinking pool of funds and to enhance the impact of activities it supports.

Stanford research center could elevate CME

Marc Iskowitz October 07, 2011

It probably won't have the same ability to tap industry for support, but a new med-ed center at Stanford has some other interesting parallels with the school's CME program.

Company news: Lighthouse Learning and Shire

August 30, 2011

The ACCME awarded provisional two-year accreditation to Lighthouse Learning, the educational content provider which develops and sells CME curricula without accepting commercial funding.

ACCME punts on proposed logo ban

Marc Iskowitz August 16, 2011

Corporate logos may still appear in CME commercial support disclosures, ACCME said, after a majority of respondents expressed disapproval of its proposal to ban them.

Doctors chip in more for CME, drugmakers less: report

Marc Iskowitz August 12, 2011

The drug industry's backing of certified CME fell for a third straight year, as registration fees and other income surged, just-released data from ACCME show.

Recent Pfizer CME grants take non-clinical approach

Marc Iskowitz August 11, 2011

In a sign of industry's ongoing desire to broaden its CME funding outlook, a couple of recently supported educational programs by Pfizer aim to foster practice-based improvement as they seek to advance the science of CME.

Lilly becomes latest pharma to disclose non-cash transfers

Marc Iskowitz July 29, 2011

Eli Lilly reported paying $48.1 million to 45,440 physicians and/or 1,827 healthcare organizations during the first quarter, most of it for research and educational programs.

Florida harasses dead doc for off-label months after suicide

Marc Iskowitz July 26, 2011

The Florida Department of Health is seeking to sanction a doctor who committed suicide in February, distraught over getting swept up in an off-label promotion sting.

On fifth try, AMA ethics proposal becomes CME policy

Marc Iskowitz June 23, 2011

A new report passed by AMA delegates draws ethical boundaries around the use of industry funding for medical education, stopping well short of the all-out ban seen in some previous versions.

ACC nixes current model of CME satellite symposia

Marc Iskowitz April 14, 2011

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is eliminating its traditional model for CME-certified satellite symposia at the Annual Scientific Session.

GSK paid $57 mil. to doctors for speaking and advising in '10

Marc Iskowitz March 31, 2011

GlaxoSmithKline said Thursday that it paid more than 5,000 US healthcare professionals a total of $56.8 million last year for promotional talks or serving on advisory boards.

Company news: J&J, Roche, Diversified Agency Services (DAS)

October 19, 2010

Johnson & Johnson reported third-quarter sales of $15 billion, a 0.7% decrease vs. the year-ago quarter, as weaker consumer-product sales weighed on revenue.

Has commercial support for CME bottomed out?

Marc Iskowitz October 13, 2010

Industry support for continuing medical education (CME) has been waning the last two years, but some say the bottom may be in sight.

In stepping up COI rules, Yale takes 'rational' approach to industry

Marc Iskowitz September 16, 2010

Yale School of Medicine, which created conflict-of-interest guidelines years ago, has made them binding for physicians in its faculty practice.

Industry support of CME down 17%

Marc Iskowitz July 08, 2010

Total commercial support of accredited CME fell 17% to $856 million in 2009, according to ACCME's annual report—marking its second straight year of double-digit declines on a percentage basis.

GSK reveals speaker, consulting fees

Marc Iskowitz December 15, 2009

GlaxoSmithKline said it paid nearly $15 million in fees in the second quarter to US healthcare professionals for speaking and consulting services.

ACCME ponders naming and shaming

Marc Iskowitz November 12, 2009

The ACCME said it will consider releasing names of providers and activities found to violate bias rules. The exact details of the disclosure, if any, and the timing are under review by the ACCME Board of Directors, which meets December 3-4.

Industry support of CME fell 14% in 2008, ACCME data show

Matthew Arnold July 23, 2009

Total commercial support of accredited CME dropped 14% to $1 billion in 2008, according to the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education's annual report -- even as the number of physicians participating in CME activities jumped 22% to 10.6 million.