A $20,000 fine and suspension of his state medical license for at least one year was the penalty sustained by a top Medicare official for falsifying the number of continuing medical education credits he had earned. The Maryland Board of Physicians imposed the sanctions May 25 on internist Sean R. Tunis, chief medical officer and director of the Office of Clinical Standards and Quality for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Dr. Tunis, quoted in a June 4 Washington Post story, said he had “been diligent in maintaining his knowledge of clinical medicine” and cited “careless record-keeping” as the source of the problem.
Considering that failure to demonstrate compliance with CME requirements could render a physician unable to practice, accurate accounting of earned CME credits takes on particular significance.
In 2003 the American Association of Neurological Surgeons launched an integrated, online system for CME tracking at password-protected www.MyAANS.org. Neurosurgeon Eric Potts reviewed the system’s functionality in the Summer 2003 issue of the Bulletin; the article is available at www.MyAANS.org, article ID 9910. In brief, for Active and Active Provisional members of the AANS, membership requirements are summarized, links to current CME policy and information are provided, and progress toward the AANS Continuing Education Award in Neurosurgery is depicted on-screen.
In 2004 a similar screen was added for state CME requirements. To activate the state screen, members (or their chosen delegates) login to www.MyAANS.org and select the states in which they hold a license to practice medicine. The screen shows the specific state relicensure requirements, based on information in the American Medical Association’s State Medical Requirements and Statistics publication, and the individual’s progress toward meeting them. Members also have the option of entering their state licensure number for inclusion on their printed transcripts. For AANS members and nonmember tracking service subscribers who participate in the American Board of Neurological Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification program, a similar screen will show progress toward those requirements.
While users can monitor their CME credits online at any time, the AANS additionally mails annual CME transcripts to Active and Active Provisional members. In the final year of the AANS three-year CME cycle, multiple letters are sent to those with CME deficiency in time for them to take action and meet the AANS membership requirements. Although specifics are not yet finalized, a mechanism will be implemented for notifying MOC participants of CME deficiency.
Manda J. Seaver is staff editor of the Bulletin.