A proposal by the American Medical Association’s Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) calling for the elimination of commercial sponsorship of medical education was referred back to the council, effectively tabling it for the year.
“It went down in flames,” said John Kamp, executive director of the Coalition for Healthcare Communication, adding that a reference committee on Sunday heard vociferous opposition to the measure from representatives of all three primary voting blocks in the AMA House of Delegates — primary care physicians, state societies and specialty societies.
The AMA’s House of Delegates is holding its annual meeting in Chicago through Wednesday.
In a recent report, Industry Support of Professional Education in Medicine, CEJA recommended that industry funding for CME be phased out with exception to technical training on new diagnostic or therapeutic devices and techniques.
Last week, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education called for a “new paradigm” of commercial support for medical education, with a series of conditions designed to counteract any potential influence on content from industry.
