Who Will Pay for CME?

Much has been argued that CME supported by industry is nothing more than a "Continued Marketing Effort." 

Let's give the critics their due, at least for a moment.  Pharma would not be funding CME if they derived no value. 

The value proposition is a long-honored measure of behavioral change. If it has value, people will buy in.

Ostensibly, Pharma's value proposition is "I'll invest in CME because it works for me in letting clinicians know what I'm selling."

What's the clinicians' value proposition?  One might say for no investment, that is for no fee learning, they come to hear the latest update on drug therapies in their specialty. 

The critics would say that with no fee attached and with industry support, it devalues the learning and biases the experience.  Also, why do physicians get for free what other professionals have to pay dearly for? Accountants, lawyers, executives, and teachers all pay for their continued learning and investment in their careers.  All fair points.

OK, let's look at that. 

Clinicians, and by that I mean primarily physicians have long been catered to by industry.  So they have been trained to accept for free what others pay for. 

But is that the reason physicians, find it difficult to pay for knowledge and career advancement, or is the subject matter, which is predominantly on "biologics, "a nice to have" rather than a "need to have?"  Can they acquire this knowledge through journals (and yes, even Pharma promotional efforts), without having to go through a formal educational process?

Interesting dilemma. We as consumers feel that our doctor should think all information is "a need to have" and not "a nice to have."

So is it that industry has trained docs to receive drug therapy education for free or is it that docs won't pay for drug therapy education.

My 30 years of anecdotal hard-knocks experience tell me docs (like everyone else) will only pay when the value proposition for them has a payback, which is why accountants, lawyers etc pay for their CE, because they can charge for the incremental skill they have learned. 

A physician cannot charge more for their lipids or diabetes knowledge. 

A physician can only maximize the value proposition (ie, make more money) in the following categories:

1. Learn a new technique or procedure.
2. Board-review training to pass boards so they can have hospital and HMO privileges.
3. State-specific requirements to maintain state licensure.
4. Weight loss medications and facial enhancement treatments, which in turn they can bill for without any reimbursement gate keeper.

So who will pay to keep our clinicians knowledgeable about new medications?