One solution that Merrill Goozner proposes if industry support of CME disappears:
Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers can raise their reimbursement rates to pay for it. After all, medical consumers are already paying for this activity through higher prices to the drug and device companies that make the “grants.” Why not do so directly and end industry’s intermediary role?
Related posts:
- If the pharmaceutical industry won’t pay for CME, who will?
- Texas tort reform
- Medicare reimbursement
- Prescription medication pay for performance, and the rationale behind it
- The waning effect of direct to consumer drug advertising
- Fixing Medicare
- Medicare drug negotiation
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{ 5 comments }
CMS funds Medicare presently as a zero sum game … If medicare funds CME, then reimbursements must inevitably decline. I’m sorry but as it stands, its a nonstarter.
I prefer paying for my own CME. The reason?
He who pays the piper calls the tune. Drug company funded CME serves the drug companies. I am sure that government sponsored CME will serve the bureaucracy.
What ever happened to our once proud profession that we have become like children always willing to sell out for a freebie?
With the internet is is so easy to get CME, and cheap. Rarely will I go to a silly conference now when I can listen to or view podcasts at my leisure from home.
Why be beholden to anyone? Ridiculous. It is professional to have the discipline and fortitude to keep yourself educated on your own.
Anonymous #2 said:
“With the internet is is so easy to get CME, and cheap. Rarely will I go to a silly conference now when I can listen to or view podcasts at my leisure from home.
Why be beholden to anyone? Ridiculous. It is professional to have the discipline and fortitude to keep yourself educated on your own.”
Well, I’m glad you don’t feel beholden to Big Pharma for your free Internet CME (there’s no reason you have to feel beholden) but rest assured that you wouldn’t have that free Internet CME were it not for pharmaceutical industry support. If the agitators have their way such offerings will disappear from the face of the planet.
There is a lot of cheap CME in my specialty (EM) that is not sponsored or supported by big pharma. I do over 100 CME hours/year for about 300$
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