Great News! Make Money and Improve Learning Too!

Many CME programs are required to be financially self-sufficient. So money is a big issue for CME managers. In a previous post I discussed the cost of the instructional design process, and how cutting corners can affect educational results. However, the financing of CME is not always opposed to its educational goals. Here some examples of potential synergies between finance and education.

1. Reinforcement and Retention
Sending your learners reminders and updates is good business and good education. Learners are less likely to forget what they learned, and they are more likely to remember your CME program when they want to learn something else. In sum, reminders and updates can help your learners retain knowledge as they help you retain learners.

2. Motivation to Learn, and Return
I don't think we need to do a study to prove that physicians learn more when they are awake. They are also more likely to return to hear a speaker that stimulated their interest than to one that put them to sleep. So educational activities that are motivating, fun, or engaging are both more effective educational experiences and more attractive "products" when competing for registration dollars.

3. Assessment and ROI
Assessment data can be helpful in improving the effectiveness of your educational activities. They can also be helpful in demonstrating to commercial supporters that your activities are worth their investment. Perhaps some day, assessment data from CME activities will be linked to clinical care quality improvements that result in lowering malpractice insurance premiums. It would be nice for CME managers to be able to take some credit for that financial outcome!

4. Just-in-Time and Online CME
Learners are receptive to information that is useful and convenient. And, it seems reasonable to expect that better solutions for delivering information where it is needed and when it is wanted will be available in the future. Can CME piggy-back on these systems to make money without interfering with physician workflow? It might take some trial and error, but someone will probably make POC and online CME financially viable without ongoing infusions of commercial support.

5. Learning Communities
I'm told that an expert can be defined as someone who participates in a community of experts. And, providing the opportunity to participate in a community of experts is an important function of CME programs. Physicians value informal peer interactions both professionally and educationally. So the promotion of live and virtual learning communities can be good for business and good for learning.

The financial benefits of producing high quality CME activities don't always flow back to those who bore their development expenses. Still, it is useful to be aware of these benefits when gathering support for your program.