On September 23, 2019, the CME Coalition submitted a comment letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the agency’s proposed revisions to payment policies under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), encouraging the agency to consider the role of CME for quality improvement in future rulemakings on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) Value Pathways (MVP). The letter complimented CMS’ acknowledgement of continuing medical education as a part of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for opioid analgesics, noting that the rule will bolster participation in programs to inform providers about the risks associated with opioids. The CME Coalition also applauded the clarity CMS seeks to achieve by consolidating the “accredited/certified” and “unaccredited/non-certified” CME program categories in Open Payments to match the statutory language of “medical education programs.”  “CME is crucial for quality improvement and we appreciate CMS making physicians’ lifelong learning a priority,” wrote CME Coalition Senior Advisor Andrew Rosenberg.

At the 17th Annual Independent Medical Education and Grants Summit, CME Coalition Senior Advisor Andy Rosenberg joined a panel of industry experts to discuss how CME providers can repackage their programs to achieve MIPS compliance and ensure physicians receive Medicare reimbursement credit for their participation in your programs. A slide deck for the presentation can be accessed here. 

At the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions 2019 Annual Conference, CME Coalition's Andy Rosenberg and Tom Sullivan provided an update on the major legislative and regulatory issues that the Coalition has been engaged in throughout this year. A slide deck for the presentation can be accessed here. 

The CME Coalition submitted comments this week to Maine’s Board of Pharmacy, calling on it to revisit its proposed rule to limit honoraria for physicians participating in CME activities to $250 per calendar year. The Board’s proposal implements a state law that prohibits industry gifts to physicians and establishes certain exemptions, such as the $250 exemption for payments for physicians sharing medical knowledge with their peers. That exemption does not allow for physicians to be adequately compensated for their time and expertise, which would lead to fewer knowledgeable doctors being willing to speak at CME programs. 

The CME Coalition recently submitted the attached comments on the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education's (ACCME) Standards for Commercial Support (SCS) process. The Standards for Commercial Support are designed to ensure that CME activities are independent and free of commercial bias. All accredited CME providers in the ACCME System are responsible for complying with the Standards for Commercial Support and the policies that supplement the Standards.