From a business perspective, satisfying continuing medical education requirements translates into several line items in a neurosurgeon’s annual budget. Increased CME requirements, a shrinking bottom line, and an abundance of new CME opportunities suggest that now may be a good time to reevaluate CME needs and budgetary allocations.
CME decisions obviously cannot be based on cost alone. The benefit of a specific CME offering to a particular neurosurgeon can vary greatly depending upon factors such as interest, learning style and application of CME topic to one’s practice. However, analyzing variations in cost among the types of CME offerings currently available can be useful in getting the most value for the expenditure.
While not intended as an exhaustive analysis of neurosurgical CME, a review of 2004 AANS CME offerings, plus the annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and AANS/CNS section meetings, revealed an average cost of approximately $46 per credit. This figure is based on the lowest available registration fee, such as the early registration member rate. Using this average figure, an AANS member might expect to spend a minimum of $2,300 per year for CME toward the MOC requirement of 150 credits every three years, or $920 per year toward the AANS requirement of 60 credits every three years.
When differentiating among types of CME, costs varied widely. Courses were most costly at about $87 per credit, reflecting their specific focus and related expenses, such as cadaver material, while meetings averaged $30 per credit. As might be expected, home study was most wallet-friendly, averaging $11 per credit.
Most surveys indicate that doctors still prefer “live” CME. AANS members seem to echo this sentiment, as in 2004 they rated discounts on live CME — specifically courses and annual meeting registration — as the top member benefit. In estimating cost of live CME, however, costs related to travel and lost income attributed to time away from practice must be included.
One could conservatively budget $700 for each trip, $150 per day for travel expenses, and $1,600 per day for lost income away from practice. Assuming three trips and eight travel days annually, costs quickly mount to $16,100. When excluding home study options, the average cost of CME fees rises to $53 per credit.
It becomes obvious that highly valued live CME is relatively expensive and that a large portion of this cost can be attributed to time away from practice. This situation can be mitigated by maximizing the amount of credits earned while traveling, such as by attending breakfast seminars during an annual meeting, and minimizing time away from practice, for example by attending weekend courses and utilizing home study, which also is less expensive per credit.
Patrick W. McCormick, MD, MBA, FACS, is a neurosurgeon in private practice in Toledo, Ohio. Manda J. Seaver is staff editor of the Bulletin.