Fewer MECCs (medical education companies) staying in the CME industry

There are fewer medical education companies (also known as medical education and communication companies or MECCs) that are now in the CME industry. Ever since the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education) revised its "Standards for Commercial Support" in 2007, some medical education companies have struggled to survive because they were associated with a marketing agency. Furthermore, when certain commercial supporters announced that they would no longer directly fund MECCs to develop certified continuing education, more companies struggled.  Now, we see even fewer MECCs in the CME industry because of the overall reductions in industry support and the heightened scrutiny from various regulating bodies and the public. Will the CME industry survive? I believe it will, but I also think it will continue to go through changes. Physicians, nurses, and pharmacists will always need continuing education to maintain their licensure.

So, how many MECCs are still staying in the CME business? The numbers are getting smaller. We can see that fewer companies are now represented as members of the North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc., (NAAMECC). You can view the list of member companies here. This list used to be considerably larger, but it's getting smaller. While some companies are dropping out of CME, new companies are forming as well.