from The Carlat Psychiatry Blog:

Monday, August 27, 2007

ACCME's "New" Policies, Translated

On 8/24, ACCME announced 7 new policies that will go into effect as of
January 1, 2008. Some of these were probably motivated by the Senate
Finance Committee's critical report, but I assume that these don't
represent ACCME's definitive response (or at least I desperately hope
not!). You can read the new policies yourself here, but unless you
have been through an application for accreditation, as I have, don't
expect to understand what is being said. I've taken the liberty of
translating each of their impenetrable pronouncements below, along
with some commentary along the way.

New Policy # 1: If you make an agreement to provide a CME activity for
a drug company, make sure to sign the document. Huh? This is new? It's
a little bit alarming that this needs to be spelled out.

New Policy # 2: Drug companies are no longer allowed to tell you how
to produce the CME they sponsor. Okay, I guess this is an admission
that, in fact, companies had been able to directly influence CME
content for all these years. I'm shocked, just shocked.

New Policy # 3: If you produce a web-based CME program, you can no
longer conveniently leave off the fact that it is industry-sponsored
from the first few web pages, as many providers were doing. This was a
rather slimy way of roping doctors into an activity before they
realized that it was just another promotional fluff piece. Thus, this
policy enhances disclosure. Problem is, disclosure by itself does
nothing to prevent promotional content. It only provides the illusion
of objectivity.

New Policy # 4: Drug companies can't put links to CME programs on
their websites. This allows providers to more effectively hide the
fact that you are about to watch a drug ad in the guise of education.
Bad idea.

New Policy # 5: You know all that pesky disclosure stuff that we've
always required you to do? Well, now we're serious. You really have to
do it. And this is a new policy...how???

New Policy # 6: We've changed our official definition of "commercial
interest." But don't worry, after listening to the concerns of all the
for-profit Medical Education Communication Companies, we've made
certain that our new definition won't disrupt business as usual. The
crux here is that a "commercial interest" is not allowed to produce
CME. As you can imagine, any redefinition of commercial interest
generates high anxiety among MECCs. To the rest of the world, any
company that makes all of their income by taking grants from drug
companies and producing education that relates to their products,
would be defined as a "commercial interest." But somehow, ACCME has
tweaked, massaged, nay, Shiatsued language as we know it to ensure
that MECC's remain blissfully non-commercial. This way, they can
continue to make loads of money!

New Policy # 7: If you teach a CME activity, you can get two hours of
CME credit for every hour of credit you teach. Excellent! That nets me
24 extra CME credits per year for writing The Carlat Psychiatry
Report! Now this is policy I can get behind.

Bottom-line: The status quo finds ever more elaborate ways of
maintaining the status quo.

Posted by Daniel Carlat, M.D. at 8:48 AM

http://carlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com/2007/08/accmes-new-policies-translated.html

*  *  *
As I've done before, I am posting something that I know very little
about and which has no direct effect on me . . . partly because I
enjoy Dr. Carlat's sarcasm.

Marilyn