In a letter to the Chairman of CEJA and the Chairman of the AMA reference committee, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) provides input on the current CEJA recommendations.
They have several major concerns with the report as it now stands:
· Continued inappropriate mixing of two issues: commercial support for CME and direct gifts and payments to physicians.
· Management and Resolution of Disclosed Conflicts of Interest
· Ethically Preferable/Ethically Permissible
o They question the basic assumption of the CEJA document that there is somehow an ethically ideal, bellow which “less ethical” behavior is “permissible.”
CMSS goes on to suggest that in order for CEJA and the AMA fulfill the ethical tenets of professionalism prioritizing:
· Altruism (putting patients’ interest continually first, in process and outcomes)
· Voluntary self regulation (Adopting implementable CEJA guidelines around gifts to physicians, while commercial support should be governed by strict adherence to the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support and Standards to Ensure Independence of CME Activities)
· Transparency (at the level of the AMA , medical and specialty societies, CME providers and physicians)
These recommendations need to be seriously considered, by CEJA, lest they potentially face the same results as last year.
No matter what the outcome, this weeks AMA meeting with the focus on healthcare reform promises to be an exciting one to say the least.