Day #2 of the #PACME11 conference

Today is the second day of the PACME 2011 conference here in Philadelphia. We have had some great discussions today about legislative updates from John Kamp. Make sure you are familiar with all those crazy acronyms like DDMAC, PDUFA, FDAAA, and others. Then, Dr. J. David Haddox spoke about REMS and opioids. What role will certified CME play around REMS and opioids? We also had some great discussions about educational outcomes and delivering meaningful results. What can be done to ensure that certified CME is leading to measurable improvements in patient care? We spent some time reviewing the new CEJA report and discussing issues related to potential bias.

Insights from #PACME11 about social learning and a growing online community

I am currently attending the PACME 2011 conference and Dr. Brian McGowan spoke passionately about the new online communities on the Alliance for CME website. This is a great resource for CME professionals who are open to sharing information and learning from each other. Make sure to create a profile and join a group. Then, dive in and engage others in a discussion about the CME enterprise.

• Work collaboratively 
  • Join a group and invite others to join.
• Network
  • Create your own personal profile
    You decide how much information you want to share.
  • Search the community directory
    Find others who share your interests.  Find professionals in your area.

• Find or Contribute to CE/CPD Resources
  • Contribute to our virtual library of documents.
• Discuss hot topics
  • Join a discussion forum to ask a question, engage in discussion on specific or general topics.

If you have questions about the site, you can ask me since I am a member of the Alliance for CME Emerging Technologies Committee.  Visit the Alliance for CME website.

Follow #PACME11 on Twitter for tweets from the 2011 PACME conference

I'm attending the PACME conference and I'll be tweeting throughout the day. Make sure to follow me (@DrJosephKim) and the official PACME 2011 hashtag #PACME11 for tweets from the meeting.

About the Pharmaceutical Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (PACME) Member Section:

The main purpose of the Pharmaceutical Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (PACME) Member Section is to provide a forum for Alliance members interested in advancing innovation in CME/CPD through collaboration and partnerships with providers of CME/CPD; allow for exchange and sharing of best practices (appropriately allowed within the law) between industry representatives actively engaged in the CME/CPD enterprise; provide mentorship and networking opportunities; offer educational programming that features thought leaders, researchers and innovators in CME/CPD.

Growing use of social media in the CME industry #acme2011

Last week, I was in San Francisco attending the Alliance for CME annual conference. A number of presentations included different elements of social media in the certified continuing medical education process. Some organizations were using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to conduct needs assessments. Others were relying on social media for physician engagement and to increase participation. Some groups were educating physicians about the appropriate use of social media. After all, there are significant patient privacy issues that are intimately connected with social media and we wouldn't want physicians to use social media inappropriately.

What's interesting is that those working in the CME industry are also using social media for professional purposes. The LinkedIn groups were buzzing with activity about the upcoming Alliance meeting as attendees shared ideas and generated buzz about the conference. Attendees also used the Twitter hashtag #acme2011 to refer to the conference. The Alliance for CME recently launched a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and a LinkedIn group. Other CME groups are doing similar things to leverage social media resources.

2011 will be a year where we'll be seeing much more social media activity in the world of CME. Let's see how we can all use social media to enhance the education of health care professionals. 

CME and the evolving health care system #acme2011

I am in San Francisco attending the Alliance for CME annual conference. Today, I listed to an interesting discussion looking at the health care system and the world of CME.

We are seeing two major system changes:

On the macro level, we see a movement towards ACOs. There is a greater level of accountability that is sweeping across the healthcare system.

On the micro level, we are seeing more PCMHs. Care coordination. More value. Less waste.

Our current system is broken, isn't it? How can a primary care physician keep up with so many different problems in a five-minute visit?

There are three major transformations:

1. Care is becoming continuous rather than episodic
2. Care becomes proactive rather than reactive
3. Patients become activated for self-management

The chronic care model is becoming the continuous care model. Patients will be the ones to construct their own medical homes.

So, as the world of health care continues to evolve, how will the CME world evolve? We will probably see the focus shifting towards prevention, systems improvement, behavior change, health coaching, the effective use of technology, patient empowerment, etc.

Great presentation this morning about adult learning in CME #acme2011

This morning, I attended a great presentation focused around adult learning principles that are applicable in the world of medical education. The presentation was titled, "Building a High Performance Workplace in Healthcare."

When is the last time you learned something that really changed your behavior at work? Have you stopped to think about that? What barriers hinder you from improving your workflow efficiencies?

Adult learning research can help us improve the way we deliver continuing education to physicians and other healthcare professionals. There is a growing body of literature that can help us enhance the medical education industry. CME is evolving away from traditional didactic lectures and we are seeing more CME activities that are interactive, practical, and actionable.

As educators, what are we doing to ensure that CME is leading to practice-based changes?

To follow updates from the Alliance of CME annual conference, follow the Twitter hashtag #acme2011.

More focus on social media here at the Alliance for CME #acme2011

There's a greater focus on social media and new technologies here at the Alliance for CME annual conference. It's great to see how organizations are using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, and other social media networks to deliver professional education.

The Alliance for CME has also jumped into the world of social media by launching a Facebook page, a LinkedIn group, and a Twitter account.

I think 2011 will be a year where we'll see more social media involved in certified medical education activities. Medical education providers are thinking about different ways to incorporate social media into formal CME activites. Plus, we're looking at the use of social media for the needs assessment process, outcomes measurement, and for educational research.

I'm also participating in the Emerging Technologies Committee for the Alliance for CME. This is a brand new group that will be looking at the use of newer technologies in the world of CME.

Evolving role of social media in the world of CME #ACME2011

I am attending the Alliance for CME annual conference in San Francisco. This afternoon, I attended a great session focused around the use of social media in the setting of professional continuing medical education or CME. We are just starting to see some early examples of social media utiliztion among those of us working in the continuing medical education industry. Groups are using Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to connect with physicians, patients, and educators. These are certainly interesting times as we adopt new communications technologies in the medical education field.

Follow updates from the meeting on Twitter: #ACME2011

I'm off to San Francisco to attend the Alliance for CME annual conference #ACME2010

I'm flying out to San Francisco to attend the 36th Alliance for CME annual conference. This year, I'm looking forward to participating in a new committee called the Emerging Technologies Committee.

This year, I'll be blogging on my Apple iPad and tweeting with my Motorola Droid X (Android smartphone). I'll probably also send some tweet using my iPad.  Make sure to follow me @DrJosephKim and the #ACME2010 Twitter hashtag.

Speaking of the Alliance for CME, did you know this?

The Alliance for CME is pleased to offer the Competency Assessment & Lifelong Learning Series (CALLS), a set of online learning tracks that support unique professional development opportunities.

Proficiency in Continuing Medical Education

CCMEP™ Exam Prep
Competency-Based Certificates, including:

• Best Practices in Assessment and Evaluation (Alliance Competency 3.2)
• Directing Physician Self-assessment for Learning and Change (Alliance Competency 3.6)
• Facilitating Improvements in Healthcare by Addressing Barriers (Alliance Competency 4.6)

See you in San Francisco! 

The Alliance for CME embraces social media

The Alliance for CME has joined the social networking world! You can now stay on top of the latest events, update and announcements from the Alliance on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

• Like the Alliance for CME on Facebook here.
• Follow the Alliance for CME on Twitter here.
• Join the Alliance for CME LinkedIn Group here.

It's great to see the Alliance for CME embracing the world of social media. 

PACME Spring Summit

PACME Spring Summit
Thursday – Friday,
May 13-14, 2010 | Sofitel® Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA

Third Annual Alliance for CME Pharmaceutical Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (PACME) Spring Summit! Designed as a balanced, evidence-based, high quality program, we bring together expert faculty to address the specific and relevant needs of industry professionals.

Learn more about the upcoming PACME Spring Summit.

Highlights From the 35th Annual Alliance For CME Conference

Don't forget to catch the "Highlights From the 35th Annual Alliance For CME Conference" on ReachMD.

ReachMD Presents Conference Coverage Highlights from the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education 2010 35th Annual Conference in New Orleans on January 27-30, 2010.
The theme of the conference - Establishing CME as a Pathway to Better Patient Care - provided the opportunity for medical educators and planners from various specialties to share best practices and discuss broader issues and concerns.

Listen to perspectives shared by these individuals:

Click Here for Part 1:

• Jann Balmer, PhD, President of the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education and Director of CME at the University of Virginia School of Medicine
• Dave Davis, MD, Senior Director, Academic Affairs, Association of American Medical Colleges
• George Mejicano, MD, Associate Dean for Continuing Professional Development, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health
• Don Detmer, MD, MA, President and chief Executive Officer, American Medical Informatics Association

Click Here for Part 2:

• Alejandro Aparicio, MD, Director, Division of Continuing Physician Professional Development, American Medical Association
• Maureen Doyle-Scharff, MBA, FACME, Senior Director, Medical Education Group, Pfizer, Inc.
• Joseph Kim, MD, MPH, Director of Medical Affairs and Technology, Medical Communications, Media, Inc.

It was an honor and a pleasure to participate and I'd like to thank Lawrence Sherman, FACME, CCM who hosted this show and also thank Alex Epstein and the entire ReachMD for putting this together. 

View the abstracts and handouts from the Alliance for CME meeting (#ACME10)

If you didn't get a chance to attend the Alliance for CME meeting in New Orleans, you can view some of the abstracts and handouts from the meeting. This list will probably get updated in a few weeks, but for now, click here to view the full schedule and the list of activities from the 35th Alliance for CME meeting.

Had a great time at the Alliance for CME meeting (#ACME10)

I had a great time at the Alliance for CME meeting in New Orleans. It was great to see people everyone and I am returning back home with some new ideas that I'd like to implement at our company as they relate to educational design, implementation, and outcomes.  Had a chance to eat some great food and now I'm ready to go back home and see my family.

The world of CME is evolving quickly and  it's great to share new ideas and concepts so that we can ensure the highest level of quality as we educate physicians, nurses, and pharmacists.  The goal of continuing education is to improve patient care and each year we seem to improve how we're educating health care professionals. Some key buzzwords that seemed to come up repeatedly this year included:

• Social media
• Communities of practice
• Collaboration
• Practice barriers
• Performance improvement
• and more

As I prepare to share some of these insights with the people back at home, I'm sure I'll be writing some additional blog posts about the evolving world of continuing medical education.

Preparing to attend the Alliance for CME meeting in New Orleans #ACME2010

I'm preparing to attend the Alliance for CME meeting in New Orleans on January 27-30. Last year, the Alliance meeting was in San Francisco, CA and I took a red-eye flight back home after the conference ended. That was painful. This year, I get to spend a few days with colleagues and friends in New Orleans, so I'm looking forward to some good food.


Lawrence Sherman, FACME, CCMEP and I have been exchanging some messages on Twitter about the upcoming Alliance meeting (Twitter hash tag #ACME2010). Lawrence will be hosting a ReachMD - XM Satellite 160 program that will cover the Alliance meeting and I've been asked to participate in an interview, so stay tuned.



As a board member of the North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc., (NAAMECC), I'll be staffing the NAAMECC booth in the exhibit hall, so please come by and say hello.

International Society for Medical Publication Professionals

Have you heard of International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) ? That's pronounced "Iz-Map"

They are having their 5th annual meeting in Philly. If you want to learn more about medical publishing and wish to network with others in this industry, then this might be a worthwhile meeting to attend. The ISMPP also offers distance learning via webinars through the ISMPP University for those who wish to learn more about the medical publishing industry.

The theme this year is: Defining Professionalism in Medical Publications: Transparency, Objectivity, and Ethics

The ISMPP also offers a certification program for those who wish to be a Certified Medical Publication Professional (CMPP). I wonder if that's where those in the CME industry came up with the Certified CME Professional (CCMEP).

Question re: opportunities in medical communications and CME

I got a question the other day re: opportunities in medical communications and CME

Here was my response:

Non-clinical opportunities tend to be regional. If you live in the northeast, you are surrounded by medical communications companies. They tend to cluster around pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, so you'll also find some in the west coast, Chicago, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and several other cities. This doesn't mean that you can't have a chance if you don't live in those areas.

Many people become very successful as freelance medical writers living anywhere in the country. A really useful resource for medical writing is the AMWA. You can join and get involved in many different ways. It's always hard to start as a freelancer, but if you're a strong writer, you'll find opportunities. To learn more about the CME industry, I'd encourage you to check out the Alliance for CME and NAAMECC.

National Faculty Education Initiative

Have you heard of the NFEI? Well, if you're not very connected in the world of certified CME, then you probably haven't.

The Alliance for CME and Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME), in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and endorsed by AHME, launched the National Faculty Education Initiative (NFEI). This program provides online training on the differences between Certified CME and Promotional Activities. Sound basic? Well, you may be surprised to know that many clinicians don't really understand all the rules and regulations concerning certified CME or promotional education.

If you'd like to learn more, then take a look at the website:
http://www.nfeinitiative.org