In a notable demonstration of bipartisanship, Representatives Michael Burgess (R-TX) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Vice Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, came together to encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to exempt from Sunshine Act reporting requirements payments related to the support of certified continuing medical education (CME). The lawmakers stated that this would “ensure robust physician participation in this important activity without concern for Sunshine Act reporting rules.”
Reps. Burgess and Pallone, who sit on the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee, join an overwhelming number of CME stakeholders urging CMS to rethink its proposal. More than 800 comments—98 percent—favored keeping the explicit exclusion in place. The legislators note that the current Final Rule’s “unambiguously defined exemption sent a clear message to physician participants that they could present at, and attend, CME programs without finding themselves publicly reported in the Open Payments system as receivers of commercial support.”
CME is vital to “improving patient outcomes, facilitating medical innovation, and keeping our nation’s medical professionals up-to-date with the rapid pace of scientific,” note the representatives. “Because of CME’s important role in health care delivery, CME is recognized by medical practitioners as an essential part of continued professional development and a key resource in ensuring both the quality and effectiveness of care delivery. As you consider public comment and finalize your proposal in the coming weeks we ask that you take into account our concerns for the proposed policy's potential negative impact on CME and the medical community,”
CME is vital to “improving patient outcomes, facilitating medical innovation, and keeping our nation’s medical professionals up-to-date with the rapid pace of scientific,” note the representatives. “Because of CME’s important role in health care delivery, CME is recognized by medical practitioners as an essential part of continued professional development and a key resource in ensuring both the quality and effectiveness of care delivery. As you consider public comment and finalize your proposal in the coming weeks we ask that you take into account our concerns for the proposed policy's potential negative impact on CME and the medical community,”
| Bipartisan CME Letter to CMS |
