Profession
CMS gives safe harbor to CME
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 17, 2006
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has given hospitals the OK to pay for physicians' continuing medical education done on site, such as grand rounds.
The decision follows concern that such free CME could be interpreted as a kickback for patient referrals in violation of Stark self-referral laws and the anti-kickback statute. As a result, CME providers say some hospitals had begun to limit such continuing education.
To protect hospital-based CME, the AMA sent a letter in May 2005 to CMS Administrator Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, that asked for an exception. Other organizations also petitioned for the exception.
Dr. McClellan's response in March was that "traditional, on-site hospital grand rounds and other similar in-house education programs provided by hospitals are important and convenient ways for physicians to earn CME credit and for hospitals to ensure high quality patient care. We do not believe that such programs ... necessarily constitute remuneration to the physicians who attend them."
The clarification is expected to be formalized in the Federal Register.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/07/17/prbf0717.htm.
