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CME Privacy Policy Template

In order to ensure that CME provider entities - both within and outside of the CME Coalition - have “best practices” in place with regard to their treatment of collected learner data, the CME Coalition has provided a suggested privacy policy template for use by its members and the public at-large.

Responsible Logo Use Guidelines

Recently, the ACCME's Board of Directors decided to adopt changes to the Standards for Commercial Support to prohibit the use of commercial interest logos in the acknowledgment of commercial support. Although the CME Coalition took issue with the Board’s decision, we are working hard to ensure that our members, and other stakeholders in the community, meet the new requirements.

While we respect and recognize the ACCME’s decision to ban logos, we remain committed to ensuring that commercial support for CME be made visible to learners. To that end, we have proposed a straight-forward design recommended for voluntary use by CME providers that would provide adequate transparency while avoiding the use of corporate logos.

The press release and our design template are available now.

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What is CME?

Continuing medical education (CME) refers to a range of educational programs provided by trained professionals that helps health care providers to maintain their competence and to learn about new technologies, procedures and developing areas of their field. Content for these programs is developed, reviewed, and delivered by faculty who are experts in their individual clinical areas. Similar to the process used in academic journals, any potentially conflicting financial relationships for faculty members must be disclosed and addressed appropriately. The CME Coalition is a collection of health care providers, companies, institutions and academics committed to the pursuit of sensible policies designed to promote responsible CME.

To Join the CME Coalition, Click Here!

Our Members

CME Incite is a non-accredited medical education company, specializing in the integration of adult learning principles and clinical data. CME Incite's activities are designed to provide clinicians with clear, actionable strategies that can be implemented directly into clinical practice. Their Medical Affairs department features a team of physicians and PhDs dedicated to improving patient outcomes, with extensive experience collaborating with the leading medical experts to translate data into clinical practice.

The Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with an international membership of 2,500 health professionals, lay members of the community, corporate members, and institutional members. The ABC is dedicated to eliminating the disparities related to cardiovascular disease in all people of color. The Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine (PIM) delivers effective continuing medical education activities that are designed to contribute to the professional development of physicians, as well as other healthcare professionals, support their lifelong learning process and positively impact the delivery of care. PIM fulfills this mission by forming successful alliances and working in collaboration with carefully vetted education partners to deliver learning experiences that address the educational needs underlying the identified professional practice gaps of their learners.

AstraZeneca is a global innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription medicines that make a meaningful difference in healthcare. AstraZeneca focuses primarily on cancer, cardiovascular / metabolic disease and respiratory / inflammation / autoimmunity. Alongside this, they remain active in infection and neuroscience with targeted investments in opportunities and collaborations.

Based in Deerfield, Ill., Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA is a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan. The respective companies currently market oral diabetes, insomnia, rheumatology, and gastroenterology treatments and seek to bring innovative products to patients through a pipeline that includes compounds in development for metabolic and cardiovascular disease, gastroenterology, neurology, and other conditions.

Celgene is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of patients worldwide. Celgene's mission is to build a major global biopharmaceutical corporation while focusing on the discovery, the development, and the commercialization of products for the treatment of cancer and other severe, immune, inflammatory conditions.

Clinical Care Options (CCO) creates innovative, interactive continuing medical education programs that anticipate and meet the needs of healthcare professionals. CCO's expertise in CME, technology solutions, and clinical knowledge allows it to rapidly deliver the highest quality content simultaneously online, in print, and at live meetings, in the service of improving patient care.

PlatformQ Health is leading provider of virtual continuing medical education events. Our unique education platform allows physicians and other health care professionals to connect online from any computer, learn about the latest treatment options, engage in real-time Q&A with top faculty and earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credits ™

Rockpointe is a science-based medical communications company whose clinical specialists, educators, and producers collaborate with national thought leaders to create integrated educational initiatives that are innovative, engaging, and clinically relevant.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is a leading global pharmaceutical company, committed to increasing access to high-quality healthcare by developing, producing and marketing affordable generic drugs as well as innovative and specialty pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients. Teva is the world's largest generic drug maker, with a global product portfolio of more than 1,300 molecules and a direct presence in about 60 countries.

Educational Concepts Group specializes in continuing education programs for oncology and hematology professionals. Since 2003, ECG has been one of the leading medical education providers in the United States, delivering instructive programs in a variety of formats targeted toward healthcare professionals who are charged with treating patients with solid tumors or hematologic disorders and malignancies.

Since 2003, Global has tapped the power of partnership. Our strategic alliances with more than 20 academic centers, professional societies, and others ensure independence, performance, and continuous improvement for learners. Our staff includes experts in accreditation and regulatory guidelines, adult learning and outcomes, medicine, meeting planning, and project management.

The National Association of Medical Education Companies, Inc., (NAMEC) is a professional association dedicated to providing representation, advocacy, and education for its members. In the past, there has been no organized voice for medical education and communications companies (MECCs). In the ever-changing and complicated medical education and communications environment, NAMEC functions as a representative and advocate of the industry.

SECO International, LLC, is a wholly owned entity of the Southern Council of Optometrists, Inc. (SoCO), and is the business name used to identify the annual Congress hosted and organized by SoCO each year in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. SECO International is dedicated to returning to the optometry profession what so many volunteers and members have given to creating what is now an internationally renowned educational event and one of the largest optometry meetings in the world.

Forest Laboratories is a pharmaceutical company with well-established franchises in multiple therapeutic areas, exploring new product opportunities that address a range of health conditions. Forest identifies, develops, and delivers pharmaceutical products that make a difference in people's lives. Forest credits their success to innovation, integrity, and a commitment to developing important products.

Research To Practice (RTP) is a medical education company based in Miami, Florida specializing in physician and allied health professional education focused exclusively on oncology and hematology. All of RTP’s CME activities help bridge the gap between research and patient care and assist practitioners in clinical decision-making by providing ongoing access to the opinions and perspectives of internationally recognized cancer clinical investigators.

CBI, an Advanstar company, is the life sciences industry leader in providing thought-leadership, actionable data, benchmarking, case studies and regulatory information through a dynamic conference platform that facilitates innovation, collaboration and elevation across the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and healthcare industries. Benefiting more than 5,000 executives annually, CBI conferences provide the market with cutting-edge, actionable information on the most compelling industry mega and micro trends through exclusive thought-leader presentations from an esteemed speaking faculty.

CPEA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to being the forum for bringing clinical practitioners and patients together. With education, information, and collaboration networks, CPEA helps healthcare practitioners and patients build bridges in several therapeutic Communities of Care.

The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Certified by ACCME, CRF educates physicians and healthcare professionals to improve patient outcomes and quality of life. With a worldwide reputation for excellence in training clinical practitioners in advanced techniques and innovations, CRF conducts more than 50 educational meetings, conferences, and online programs each year.

Sanofi, a diversified global healthcare leader, discovers, develops, and distributes therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone. Sanofi works to prevent and treat the diseases that we know of today, as well as those we may face tomorrow. With nearly 100,000 dedicated professionals in more than 100 countries, Sanofi is devoted to advancing healthcare around the world.

Founded over a decade ago as a technology company focused on data collection and management in the healthcare industry, Educational Measures was created to meet a need in the marketplace; the need to effectively deliver content and collect outcomes data to improve physician performance and ultimately patient care. Using their background in technology and education, the founders built a company based on cutting edge technology, innovative thinking and superior customer service.

Astellas Pharma is a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. Atellas commitment to changing tomorrow is measured not only by afocus on bringing innovative and effective new medicines to patients and physicians, but also by an emphasis on the impact that can be made within the communities where we work and live.

Horizon Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company, provides Medical Education Grants in support of specific educational activities for health care professionals and consumers to provide for better management of chronic conditions and patient safety. Horizon Pharma supports innovative, high-quality, educational activities, sponsorships, etc, for health care professionals and consumers that target unmet needs, foster clinical excellence and impact areas of concern for consumers and health care professionals.

Medscape Education targets and engages members across 33 healthcare specialties, and combines proprietary technology, instructional expertise, and measureable impact to accelerate the adoption of scientific advances into practice. Medscape Education continually innovates to better address clinician needs in order to improve the care and outcomes of patients. Medscape, LLC is ACCME-, ANCC-, and ACPE-accredited, and a leading online provider of continuing professional education.

HealthmattersCME is a minority-owned and operated, full-service medical education/communications company. They provide unique and customized CME/CE-certified programming for health care professionals supported by unrestricted educational grants from the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries.

The North American Center for Continuing Medical Education (NACCME) is committed to developing and disseminating CME activities to provide an educational forum through which healthcare practitioners may examine current medical issues, therapies, and technologies. The content of NACCME-sponsored CME activities is designed to bridge the gap between current and best healthcare practices and to improve healthcare quality by strengthening practitioner awareness of evidence-based patient care advances in a broad range of therapeutic areas.

The mission of Creative Educational Concepts, Inc. (CEC) is to enhance healthcare through the provision of safe, high quality, comprehensive, life-long learning opportunities presented by and for the healthcare team of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and other healthcare professionals. CEC offers practicing clinicians an opportunity to maintain and enhance their knowledge and skills; moreover, their professional practice, competence, and performance.

Vindico Medical Education is solely dedicated to delivering the highest quality and immediately relevant educational programs. These activities provide health care professionals with information on clinical advances they need to better treat their patients. Vindico delivers the highest quality and relevant educational programs and activities to physicians and other health care providers, with the ultimate goal of improving patient health.

Open Payments Action Center

Recently, CMS issued a proposal to revise the Sunshine Act reporting requirements with regard to accredited CME related payments. It is vitally important that CMS hear from concerned stakeholders in this comment period, which ends September 2, 2014.

Click here to encourage CMS to maintain the Sunshine Act exemption for accredited CME.

Although CMS has stated that its purpose for this new policy is to expand the reporting exemption for speakers at non-accredited educational events, as it is written, the proposal has the potential to actually eliminate the speaker exemption, as well as require reporting of the "educational value" of physician attendees. To learn about these concerns and more, please read our policy report for an analysis of the proposed rule.

Weekly Healthcare Update for July 28, 2014

Weekly Recap

Both chambers of Congress were in session last week, as lawmakers looked to complete work on several legislative priorities before the upcoming August recess. Last Friday, the House voted 237-173 to pass legislation (H.R. 4935) to overhaul the child tax credit by requiring applicants to provide their Social Security numbers. Separately, the House voted 370-40 to approve a resolution (H.Con.Res.105) requiring Congressional authorization for a sustained presence of combat troops in Iraq. On Thursday, the House voted 205-207 to narrowly defeat a motion to adopt a Senate-passed VA reform bill (H.R. 3230). That same day, the House voted 227-187 for legislation (H.R. 3393) to provide a tax credit for higher education expenses. House members also approved a package of bills to combat human trafficking and voted 405-11 to pass student loan counseling legislation (H.R. 4984). Last Wednesday, the House voted 414-0 for legislation (H.R.

Weekly Healthcare Update for July 21, 2014

Weekly Recap

Healthcare remained a dominant topic on Capitol Hill last week, punctuated by a bitter debate in the Senate over the Supreme Court’s recent Hobby Lobby ruling. On Wednesday, lawmakers failed to advance a bill (S. 2578) that would require companies to provide contraceptive coverage in their employee healthcare plans. The Senate voted 56-43 against invoking cloture on the legislation, falling short of the 60 votes needed to move the bill forward. Senate Democrats introduced the bill to reverse the effects of last month’s Supreme Court ruling, which found that the government could not mandate that certain employers provide birth control coverage if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.