ACCME Releases Revised Draft Standards
for Commercial Support of CME
On January 13 the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical
Education (ACCME) issued its revised draft "Standards to Ensure
the Separation of Promotion From Education Within the CME
Activities of ACCME Accredited Providers." The standards focus
on five CME themes: Independence, Absence of Commercial Bias,
Disclosure of Required Information and Relationships, Appropriate
Management of Funds From Commercial Interests and Appropriate
Management of Advertising and Exhibits. This last theme addresses
the separation of product promotion from CME activities, stating,
"Product promotion, such as exhibits, advertisements, verbal
messages, or any other form, is not part of CME. Product promotion
activities need to be identified as such and be kept separate
from CME." The standards reflect several changes from the
previous version of the standards, such as requiring that
organizations with an admitted conflict of interest with a
commercial interest not be allowed to control CME funds or
content. Comments on the draft standards from the CME industry
are due by March 15, 2003. To view a copy of the draft standards,
visit ACCME's Web site at www.accme.org/whatsnew/sec_new_nw1_232.asp.
Massachusetts Bill Aims to Require Docs
to Report Gifts
Recent legislation proposed by Massachusetts State Senator
Richard T. Moore (D) would mandate that doctors report to
the state's licensing board "any gift or honoraria with a
value of more than $50 received in the 2 preceding calendar
years, if the source of such gifts or honoraria is a person
who manufactures, sells, markets or distributes prescriptions
drugs or medical devices." This bill contrasts with the Vermont
law passed last year that puts the onus on the pharmaceutical
firms to report items worth more than $25 given to physicians;
a Hawaii law from last year also requires pharmaceutical companies
to report items given to doctors worth more than $10 in value
to the state's Department of Health. For a copy of the Massachusetts
bill, visit www.state.ma.us/legis/bills/st00618.htm.
Washington Focuses More Attention on
DTC Marketing
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of
Justice (DOJ) have scheduled hearings for the end of February
to discuss "Health Care and Competition Law and Policy," with
particular concentration on FTC's role in regulating direct-to-consumer
(DTC) pharmaceutical advertising. FTC and DOJ plan to hold
hearings to discuss these topics every month between March
and October 2003; they anticipate preparing a joint report
when the meetings are finished. For more information on the
FTC's hearings, visit www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/01/ftcdojhearings.htm.
FDA Physician Survey: DTC Ads Raise Awareness
and Misconceptions
While direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of pharmaceuticals
increases patient awareness of certain drug therapies, it
can also increase misconceptions about those therapies, according
to a survey of physicians released by the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) in January. About three fourths of the physicians polled
said they believed the ads caused patients to think the drugs
worked better than they actually do. Only about 40 percent
of the physicians believed that their patients fully understood
the possible negative effects of the drugs they saw advertised.
However, 86 percent said patients asked for a specific prescription
drug by brand name. For a copy of the survey, visit www.fda.gov/cder/ddmac/globalsummit2003/sld001.htm.
CEIR and IAEM Form Exhibition Industry
Foundation
The Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) and the
International Association of Exhibition Management (IAEM)
have joined forces to create the Exhibition Industry Foundation
(EIF), which aims to fund initiatives that promote the exhibition
industry. The foundation is a consolidation of the two organization's
existing foundations. IAEM will manage the foundation, while
CEIR will provide research and public relations for the joint
effort. For more information about the EIF, visit www.iaem.org.
Survey Shows Exhibit Sales Drop, But
Long-Term Growth Continues
Exhibit sales revenue dropped by an average of 13 percent
in 2001, according to a recently released survey conducted
by the Exhibit Designers & Producers Association (EDPA).
However, the surveyed companies experienced about 23 percent
growth between 1997 and 2001, and many of the companies polled
indicated that they had predicted increased sales and expected
to rehire laid off employees or create new jobs in 2002. For
more information about the survey, visit www.edpa.com.
CIC Collects Success Stories About Dealing
with Booking Outside the Block
As part of a new program called Operation Attrition, the
Convention Industry Council (CIC) is seeking anecdotes from
those who have successfully dealt with challenges regarding
attendees who book hotel rooms outside contracted room blocks.
The stories will be posted at a Web site that is being developed.
If you have a story about techniques that were effective in
combating this problem, please send it to acastaldi@conventionindustry.org.
HCEA News
HCEA's 2003 Healthcare Exhibit Marketing
Summit: Lucy Rose Wows the Crowd
HCEA's 5th Healthcare Exhibit Marketing Summit was a big
hit. Held January 23 in Arlington, VA, the Summit brought
together nearly 100 professionals from the healthcare exhibit
marketing industry who learned from Lucy Rose about the enormous
changes that have taken place since last year's release of
the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals
and the draft OIG Guidance on marketing practices. In the
afternoon session, Sheilah Davis of Allied Intelligence discussed
security assessments and plans for healthcare meetings. One
attendee commented, "Based on this meeting, I am looking forward
to attending many more HCEA meetings."
Attendees at HCEA's Healthcare Exhibit
Marketing Summit mingle
and exchange ideas.
HCEA Shows
its Deepest Appreciation to the Following Sponsors of the
2003 HCEA Healthcare Exhibit Marketing Summit:
Gold Sponsors
Impact Unlimited
Poretta & Orr, Inc.
Sho-Aids, Inc.
Sparks Exhibits & Environments
President's
Circle Sponsors
Czarnowski Exhibit Service Specialists
H.B. Stubbs Company
Live Marketing
Sign Up Now to Be a Sponsor for HCEA's
2003 Annual Meeting
Sponsors play a huge role in making HCEA's Annual Meeting
so successful year after year. And to show its gratitude,
HCEA recognizes its Annual Meeting sponsors in a variety of
ways: a big mention in the show issue of Insight magazine,
a prominent listing in the meeting’s final program, acknowledgment
in a multi-media Sponsor Recognition Program at the meeting,
prominent signage throughout the meeting site and special
Sponsor ribbons. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity
to expose your company to some of the most important decision-makers
in the healthcare convention industry. Contact Carol Wilson
at 404-252-3663 or at cwilson@kellencompany.com
today for more information.
HCEA Welcomes Sherri Sujai to Board
HCEA is proud to welcome its newest Board member. Sherri
Sujai, Assistant Director of Industry Relations for the American
Society for Microbiology, has joined the HCEA Board of Directors
as a representative of HCEA's Associate Members. Congratulations
Sherri!
Wear Your HCEA Pride On Your Sleeve .
. .
. . . or your lapel, or your collar, etc. Arriving in your
mailbox soon will be a new HCEA lapel pin, giving members
an original way to demonstrate their membership in and support
for HCEA. We hope you'll wear your pin at healthcare meetings
and conventions and other industry events throughout the year
to generate HCEA buzz.
HCEA Welcomes its Newest
Members
Regular -
Excerpta Medica
GEN-PROBE
TheraSense
Accuray, Inc.
Associate -
Health Learning Systems
The Heritage Foundation
Supporting -
Champion Transportation Services, Inc.
Identity Works, LLC
M2 Creative
J. Spargo & Associates
A BIG THANK YOU GOES OUT TO:
Geri-Dee Shaffer of Aesculap, who referred new Regular Member
Accuray, Inc.
Upcoming Member Meetings
Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
& Prevention - Annual Conference
American Heart Association
Heather Halford, CMP
(214) 706-1425 FAX: (214) 706-1517 E-mail: heather.halford@heart.org
Web: www.americanheart.org/conferences
Meeting Date: Mar. 5-8, 2003
Site/City: Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel, Miami Beach,
FL
Society Of American Gastrointestinal
Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)
Colleen Elkins, Manager
(310) 314-2404 FAX: (310) 314-2585 E-mail: sagesweb@sages.org
Web: www.sages.org
Meeting Date: Mar. 12-15, 2003 Exhibit Date:
Mar. 12-15, 2003
Site/City: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles,
CA
Association Of Perioperative Registered
Nurses (AORN)
Garth Jordan, Director of Sales
(303) 755-6304 Ext. 238 FAX: (303) 755-4511 E-mail:
gjordan@aorn.org
Web: www.aorn.org
Meeting Date: Mar. 23-27, 2003 Exhibit Date:
Mar. 25-27, 2003
Site/City: McCormick Place, Chicago, IL
Society Of Interventional Radiology
Joanna Lanzirotti, Exhibits Manager
(703) 691-1805 FAX: (703) 691-1855 E-mail: info@scvir.org
Web: www.scvir.org
Meeting Date: Mar. 27-Apr. 1, 2003 Exhibit
Date: Mar. 28-31, 2003
Site/City: Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake
City, UT
