Physician Payments Sunshine Act: CME Coalition Urges CMS To Reconsider Eliminating the CME Exemption

The CME Coalition has submitted their comment voicing serious concerns over CMS’s proposal to eliminate the CME exemption from Sunshine Act reporting. The Coalition notes that, as written, the proposed changes will have a detrimental effect on the professional training of medical professionals, and ultimately, on patient outcomes. The comment proposes a manner of determining bona fide accredited CME programs that are deserving of exemption from the Sunshine Act reporting rules. CME Coalition Analysis of the Proposed Rule In its submission, the Coalition embraces the preamble of CMS’s proposed rule, that the criteria for determining Sunshine-exempt continuing education should be expanded.  However, the Coalition’s analysis of the proposed rule’s actual language suggests that rather than expanding the exemption beyond the originally designated “five accrediting bodies,” the proposal could instead require additional reporting for both speakers and attendees at CME events. The resulting elimination of the CME exemption could be devastating for the practice of CME. CMS stated that its motivation in eliminating the specific CME exemption in favor of the “indirect payment” carve-out was to “create a more consistent reporting requirement” and avoid the “apparent endorsement or support to organizations sponsoring continuing education events.” According to CMS, this remedy would result in an outcome where if a manufacturer conveys “full discretion” to ...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs