We should rethink SCP CE

If we have learned anything during COVID, it is that we have had to rethink how we deliver care to patients. Given travel and contact restrictions, we have also had to rethink healthcare professional (HCP) continuing education (CE) structure, process, outcomes and marketing.

Colorado used to be one a few states that did not require CME to renew a medical license. Now it does.

The act establishes a continuing medical education requirement (CME) for physicians licensed in this state.

To meet the CME requirement, a physician must complete 30 credit hours of CME (CME credit hours) in the 24 months preceding the renewal, reinstatement, or reactivation of the physician's medical license in topics selected by the physician and also in topics specified in the act. The act specifies the type and sponsors of programs or activities that qualify for CME credit hours. The board, at its discretion, may initiate a stakeholder process to consider requiring CME credit hours in a certain topic and shall initiate a stakeholder process for the board to consider requiring specific credit hours relating to health disparities and outcomes data, reproductive, sexual, and gender-based health care, and explicit and implicit bias.

Business schools rethinking how to deliver executive education programs.

So, post COVID, what were the lessons learned and how should we apply them to rethinking HCP CE?

STRUCTURE

1. Eliminate rules and regulations that mandate costly and ineffective CE/MOC products and services

PROCESS

2. Use modern adult learning medical education technologies that stress active learning and engagement techniques

3, Create CE value propositions that justify the cost of CE compared to free CE

4. Rethink the rules and regulations concerning industry program sponsorship to facilitate HCP/industry cooperation without stepping over the conflict-of-interest lines

5. Improve the online experience and design a hybrid model

6. Do a better job of providing a personalized networking experience either online or face to face

7. Improve the preconference and post conference experience, much like the perioperative experience, to get better outcomes

CONTENT

8. Personalize the content by offering curated information driven by data analytics and artificial intelligence.

9. Differentiate CME from non-CME content

10. Crowd source needs assessment to drive learning objectives and curriculum. Make meetings customer centered, not sponsor or organizer centered.

12. Award CME credit for non-clinical career topics, since those durable skills will more more to do with leading change and improving the siloed, sick, sick care system of systems than clinical content.

OUTCOMES

12, Link outcomes to behavior change that results in higher quality, lower costs, more equitable access, a better HCP and patient experience and more efficient and effective business processes. We need to link CME with improved clinical outcomes.

MARKETING

13. Rethink product, price, promotion and place given contemporary social media structure and client and organizer preferences and goals

134 Clarify the value propositions to different customer segments.

I use Duolingo to learn Spanish at my own pace for free. I should be able to do the same thing if I were a practicing physician. Hablas de reforma sanitaria?

Lifelong learning is a mindset for sick care professionals. The issue is how to upskill the SCP workforce to achieve the sextuple aims at minimal cost. Mandating obsolete, expensive models is not the answer. and is another manifestation of our obsessive credential v competency approach.

According to a popular article from the Harvard Business Review, in the coming decades, as the pace of technological change continues to increase, millions of workers may need to be not just upskilled but reskilled—a profoundly complex societal challenge that will sometimes require workers to both acquire new skills and change occupations entirely. Companies have a critical role to play in addressing this challenge, but to date few have taken it seriously. To learn more about what their role will entail, the authors—members of a collaboration between the Digital Data Design Institute at Harvard’s Digital Reskilling Lab and the Boston Consulting Group’s Henderson Institute—interviewed leaders at some 40 organizations around the world that are investing in large-scale reskilling programs. In synthesizing what they learned, they became aware of five paradigm shifts that are emerging in reskilling: (1) Reskilling is a strategic imperative. (2) It is the responsibility of every leader and manager. (3) It is a change-management initiative. (4) Employees want to reskill—when it makes sense. (5) It takes a village. The authors argue that companies will need to understand and embrace these shifts if they hope to succeed in adapting dynamically to the rapidly evolving new era of automation and AI.

Future research on CME effectiveness must take account of the wider social, political, and organizational factors that play a role in physician performance and patient health outcomes. We now have 39 systematic reviews that present an evidence-based approach to designing CME that is more likely to improve physician performance and patient health outcomes. These insights from the scientific study of CME effectiveness should be incorporated in ongoing efforts to reform systems of CME and health care delivery.

Potential registrants need more information and transparency about a meeting value proposition to make informed choices.

Which AI conference should you attend? Answer these questions:

1. Does the value proposition and format meet your needs or solve your problem"

2 What is the cost and is it worth it?

3. Location, location, location?

4. Size?

5. Registrant centered or sponsor centered?

6. Family friendly if part of a bizcation?

7. Onsite, virtual, hybrid?

8. Calibre and experience of the faculty?

9. Applicability to your specialty?

10. What about after the conference? Office hours. Social media sites? Mentoring opportunities? Other professional development opportunities as part of the platform?

11.Dating app to meet targeted people you want in your network?

12. Conference ratings from those who have previously attended? Yelp for conferences?

To attract doctors to your technology conferences, consider the following strategies:

Offer Valuable Content

1. Feature expert speakers and global authorities in relevant medical fields16.
2. Provide opportunities for continuing medical education (CME) credits2.
3. Showcase cutting-edge innovations and emerging technologies in healthcare2.

Optimize Networking Opportunities

1. Create dedicated spaces for physicians to interact with industry leaders and innovators2.
2. Organize small group discussions or roundtables focused on specific medical specialties6.
3. Facilitate connections between attendees using conference apps or networking events2.

Highlight Practical Benefits

1. Demonstrate how featured technologies can optimize clinical workflows and reduce administrative burdens2.
2. Showcase products that can help private practice physicians reduce overhead costs2.
3. Present case studies of successful technology implementations in healthcare settings6.

Strategic Location and Timing

1. Choose venues in cities with renowned medical institutions or research centers3.
2. Schedule conferences to minimize disruption to physicians' clinical practices3.
3. Consider hosting satellite events or live streams for those unable to attend in person6.

Personalized Outreach

1. Partner with local medical societies and institutions to promote the event3.
2. Tailor marketing messages to address specific pain points and interests of different medical specialties5.
3. Offer early bird discounts or group registration rates for medical practices6.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a compelling event that doctors will find valuable and worth attending.

We need to fill the SCP CE gaps and use the lessons from COVID to teach us how, much like how we leapfrogged into telemedicine after over 75 years.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs on Substack and Editor of Digital Health Entrepreneurship