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CME Outfitters Supports National Task Force Campaign to Get the Facts! About Continuing Medical Education
New resource area created at neuroscienceCME.com offers downloadable fact sheets, best practice information, and links to other initiatives
December 8, 2008
Rockville, MD -- Concerns about conflict of interest and bias in continuing medical education (CME) have raised questions about medical education in the minds of clinicians, regulators, and the general public. Is there really a difference between certified CME and independent promotional activities regulated by the FDA? After reading reports in the press and from legislative hearings, do you wonder if CME is influenced by pharmaceutical funding? Have the appropriate checks and balances been applied to the educational activity in which you are participating to ensure it is balanced and objective? These are all valid questions that educators, consumers, and stakeholders in the CME community may, and should, be asking. As these questions are posed, it is critical that the answers accurately reflect current CME practices and not misinformation or misrepresentation.
In an effort to address misinformation and elucidate the facts, the National Task Force on Continuing Medical Education Provider/Industry Collaboration has begun a national campaign called Get the Facts! This campaign is focused on disseminating the facts about CME and ensuring these facts are accurate and appropriately reflect current processes and standards, while also recognizing the impact that quality CME can make on patient care. Members of the National Task Force represent key stakeholder groups including, but not limited to, the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (ACME), Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME), Association for Hospital Medical Education (AHME), the Coalition for Healthcare Communications, and the pharmaceutical industry.
CME Outfitters, LLC, (CMEO) fully supports The National Task Force on Continuing Medical Education Provider/Industry Collaboration Get the Facts! Campaign and commits to joining them in taking actionable steps to distribute factual information about CME that focuses on improving care for patients. As an accredited provider of CME with Accreditation with Commendation status, CMEO has a reputation for developing best-in-class education as rated by physician participants and external review boards. All content developed is evidence-based and focused on improving clinician knowledge and/or performance. As an engaged member of the CME community, CMEO is also committed to providing faculty, participants, and stakeholders with the facts regarding policies and processes for managing conflict of interest and commercial bias in educational activities. In addition to supporting Get the Facts!, CMEO also supports the National Faculty Education Initiative developed to train faculty on the difference between certified CME and promotional education. CMEO requests that all faculty involved in educational activities complete this online training module.
CMEO has created a new resource area at http://www.neuroscienceCME.com/about_cme.html outlining best practice initiatives. At the new resources page, viewers will find the CMEO Content Review Process, Get the Facts! information regarding CME, and a link to the National Faculty Education Initiative. Everyone with an interest in CME is encouraged to visit this resource page to fully understand the rigorous processes CMEO applies to educational activities. CMEO remains committed to the goal of improving clinician knowledge and/or performance in patient care and encourages participants to provide feedback on improving CME activities.
About CME Outfitters:
CME Outfitters, LLC, develops and distributes live, recorded, print, and web-based educational activities to thousands of clinicians each year and offers expert accreditation services for non-accredited organizations. For a complete catalog of certified activities, please visit http://www.cmeoutfitters.com, http://www.neuroscienceCME.com, or call 877.CME.PROS (877.263.7767).
About neuroscienceCME:
neuroscienceCME.com is the award-winning web portal serving clinicians, educators, and researchers in the neurosciences. Launched in October 2006, neuroscienceCME.com was custom designed to fill an identified gap in online resources for professionals around the world who are practicing in areas related to psychiatry, sleep disorders, addiction and substance abuse, ADHD, and other areas related to brain function. The site's primary mission is to be the professional's central forum for accessing, debating, synthesizing, and implementing the latest findings and best practices in the neurosciences.
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