Comments on: Should Medicare pay for CME?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 02:34:00 +0000

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$

By: R. W. Donnell

R. W. Donnell — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 08:56:00 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 04:03:00 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:09:00 +0000

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?

By: Doc99

Doc99 — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:03:00 +0000

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.