This weekend the AMA House of Delegates meeting in Chicago will include four state resolutions against the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) fee increase to state medical societies. The states include Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey and Oklahoma.
· They state that many medical centers in states are accredited through their state medical society.
· CME is required for licensure in the states that are objecting to the increase
· Physicians rely on CME from their local medical center
· Local programs allow for schedule flexibility and collegial interaction
· The states see the fee increase as an unnecessary economic burden put on the by the ACCME.
Three states are asking the AMA to strongly urge the ACCME to reconsider the proposed fee increases and that if the ACCME refuses to reconsider that the AMA investigate and recommend ways which physicians may receive appropriate, accredited continuing medical education other than through ACCME accredited activities. One state Illinois is calling for the AMA to come up with a concept of “equivalency” and the AMA to develop a new criteria for complying with state laws.