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Continuing
Medical
Education
and
Commercial
Support
COLLEAGUES
—
I
want
to
share
with
you
some
realities
we
face.
For
several
years,
TAFP
has
been
able
to
offer
you
a
great
value
in
its
CME
–
excellent
quality
at
a
very
low
cost
–
largely
due
to
grant
support
from
the
pharmaceutical
industry.
Regarding
this
relationship,
there
are
two
issues
of
which
I
believe
we
all
need
to
be
aware.
First,
there
continues
to
be
a
vocal
component
of
our
profession
who
believe
commercially
supported
CME
is
tainted
and
biased.
Second,
there
are
major
changes
occurring
in
the
way
our
pharmaceutical
supporters
are
now
providing
educational
grants,
which
has
resulted
in
a
dramatic
reduction
in
the
number
of
grants
received
by
TAFP.
These
two
issues
lead
us
to
a
question
we
should
consider:
What
would
happen
if
CME
stopped
receiving
commercial
support
entirely?
One
of
the
scholars
studying
the
relationship
between
CME
and
commercial
support
is
R.
Van
Harrison,
Ph.D.,
who
attributes
several
factors
to
the
increase
of
commercial
CME
support.
-
As
the
number
of
therapeutic
options
accelerated
in
the
90s,
competition
for
product
market
share
intensified
creating
a
demand
for
more
education
on
these
new
treatment
options.
-
As
academic
medical
centers
and
hospitals
saw
decreasing
budgetary
surpluses,
they
were
forced
to
reduce
their
support
for
CME.
-
Managed
care
plans
reduced
and
limited
payments
for
services,
as
did
Medicare
and
Medicaid,
which
meant
physicians
had
less
money
to
invest
in
continuing
education.
Harrison
points
out
some
interesting
aspects
of
the
prosperity
brought
about
as
commercial
support
began
satisfying
those
needs.
-
Since
we
are
only
told
where
the
support
comes
from
and
not
how
much
support
is
received
for
any
CME
activity,
commercial
support
has
hidden
the
true
cost
of
CME
from
us.
-
Some
of
us
view
commercial
support
as
“free
money”
and
many
of
us
believe
we
are
entitled
to
it.
-
Medical
associations
and
societies
have
become
too
dependent
on
commercial
funding
and
its
impact
on
the
organization’s
bottom
line.
In
his
paper,
Harrison
offers
a
range
of
options
for
dealing
with
the
relationship:
-
No
change.
Maintain
the
status
quo.
-
Specialty
organizations
and
perhaps
Boards
make
curricular
recommendations
for
topics.
-
Disclose
the
source
and
the
amount
of
commercial
support
received.
-
Limit
funding
amounts
by
setting
honorarium
levels
or
limiting
the
maximum
amount
received
per
physician
per
day.
-
Commercial
support
would
be
a
truly
unrestricted
educational
grant
and
the
CME
provider
would
make
all
topic
and
program
decisions.
-
Eliminate
all
commercial
support.
Because
of
the
changes
in
the
way
pharmaceutical
companies
provide
support
for
CME,
the
first
option
is
no
longer
viable.
If
we
were
to
completely
eliminate
commercial
support,
our
CME
registration
fees
would
increase
dramatically.
For
example,
without
commercial
support,
registration
fees
for
TAFP's
Annual
Session
and
Scientific
Assembly
would
increase
by
as
much
as
800
percent.
These
are
the
challenges
we
face
as
we
plan
for
the
future
of
TAFP's
educational
offerings,
but
in
the
meantime
you
can
be
assured
that
our
commitment
to
providing
the
highest
quality
of
education
possible
has
never
been
stronger.
Our
Texas
Academy
is
an
accredited
CME
provider.
With
that
privilege
comes
a
special
set
of
responsibilities
to
avoid
bias
and
undue
influence
from
commercial
supporters.
Our
Academy
is
committed
to
bringing
us
CME
that
is
fair,
balanced,
free
of
commercial
bias
and
based
on
current
clinical
evidence.
The
rigid
ACCME
accreditation
requirements
that
TAFP
follows
guarantee
us
high-quality,
non-biased
CME.
Speaking
with
ACCME
inspectors
during
our
re-accreditation
process
during
this
month's
Interim
Session
has
convinced
me
that
our
Academy
is
complying
with
the
highest
standards
in
the
profession.
We
can
thank
our
Executive
Director
Jim
White,
our
Education
Director
Jo
Ann
Kindinger,
their
staffs,
Dr.
Dale
Moquist
and
his
Commission
on
Annual
Session
and
CME
for
their
commitment
to
providing
outstanding
educational
programs.
We
can
be
proud
and
confident
that
we
are
fulfilling
the
highest
standards
of
professional
ethics.
Thank you for your continued membership. Please continue to share your thoughts, concerns and frustrations with me by e-mailing
president@tafp.org.
Sincerely,
Tim
Coleridge,
D.O.
President
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