CME in 2011

Today we are going to talk about the year ahead and what to expect for CME in 2011. As you may know Global recently released a new white paper that was peer reviewed and analyzed by CME criticism research and policy proposals between 2005 and 2010. The authors reviewed thousands of pages of CME commentary and identified four CME policy and scrutiny trends, and they also provided information to clarify the analysis of CME. The authors then concluded with several recommendations to positively shape future debate and direction. Combined with the analysis in this white paper are a series of interviews and discussions with CME experts and other thought leaders that helped my co-authors and I identify three trends ahead.

CME Trends

The first trend was moving from defense to offense. The CME enterprise seems to be doing a better job of communicating about the actual impact of CME and the impact it has on improving professional practices. Secondly, collaborative partnerships of necessity and public relations in the past are beginning to lead to partnerships of mutual benefit. When we leverage our core competencies and those of our partners, we really demonstrate value in the CME enterprise and outside of it. Third, funding for CME has always been a big question, and we think we may see another annual decrease in total CME funding between 2009 and 2010.

Growth for CME in 2012

However, most analysts agree that there should be growth for CME in 2012 and beyond, and there are three reasons for this. First, educational needs abound, there are more than 400,000 journal articles in the medical community each year. It is very hard to keep up with that information and CME is a proven tool for closing professional practice gaps. Secondly, the ACCME is simply more vigilant in its approach to maintain compliance with standards and its guidelines. Last, the marginal or even potentially unethical players, be they faculty, partners, accredited providers or even funders, now have a hard time surviving in today’s quality minded environment. If you would like to know more about what’s on the horizon for CME, or if you would like a free printed or electronic copy of the CME Crossroads white paper, simply follow the links on our website. As always, if you have any questions about CME, feel free to contact us here