On-site ACCME monitors?

Well, it hit the WSJ's Health Blog:

In a recent conversation with the Health Blog, Kopelow said ACCME will likely start sending auditors to CME lectures. “We could have trained monitors observing CME presentations and reporting their findings to us,” to see whether the presentations are straying from the rules, he said. The group hasn’t yet decided whether the monitors would work undercover.

CME providers that step out of line might find themselves facing sanction more quickly and more often. Providers now have several years to clean up their act, and only one provider or so a year loses its accreditation. “The Senate and others have said we don’t … have as heavy a hand as we could. The ACCME is going to talk about that,” Kopelow said.

The way money passes from drug and device companies to CME providers could also change, Kopelow said. Now, a provider applies to a company for funding, and the company decides whether to grant the request.

Click here to access.