While the number of physicians open to pharmaceutical sales calls is shrinking, a new survey suggests some venues are more hospitable to industry than others.
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.
Why do doctors like branded med ed? Topics draw more than drug names
Pharma’s support for continuing medical education has been narrowing, due to budget cuts and intense scrutiny on commercial funding. However, so-called branded med ed programs have remained a mainstay.
Number of CME providers on probation doubles from last year
The number of providers placed on probation by the nonprofit that regulates continuing medical education has more than doubled this year, from 15 to 35.
Physician leaders push back on policy barring industry speakers from talks
A policy barring pharmaceutical industry employees from giving continuing medical education talks at meetings has elicited strong opposition from physician leaders.
In the last 12 months, 142 medical-education providers either lost their accreditation to offer CME or decided not to apply for renewal, said the ACCME in a report issued last Friday.
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.
Certified and accredited CME has undergone a sea-change in recent years, with policies now in place emphasizing quality and leaving little room for bias (not that you’d know it, for all the buzz about conflicts of interest)
Industry support of CME fell 14% in 2008, ACCME data show
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.