The Likelihood That Remedial Continuing Medical Education (CME) Reduces Disciplinary Recidivism Among Physicians

Area of Science:

• Medical Regulation
• Physician Performance
• Continuing Medical Education

Background:

• State medical boards regulate physician conduct through practice acts.
• Remedial continuing medical education (CME) is often used as a disciplinary measure.
• The effectiveness of remedial CME in preventing physician recidivism is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if requiring remedial CME impacts the likelihood of physicians receiving subsequent disciplinary actions.
• To analyze the relationship between initial disciplinary actions involving remedial CME and future board sanctions.

Main Methods:

• A national sample of 4,061 physicians disciplined between 2011-2015 was analyzed.
• Multivariate logistic regression assessed the impact of remedial CME on subsequent discipline within 5 years.
• The study focused on physicians whose first discipline included license restrictions or probation.

Main Results:

• 36% of physicians were required to complete remedial CME as part of their initial discipline.
• Physicians mandated to complete remedial CME showed a significantly lower likelihood of receiving additional discipline (OR, 0.597; P < .001).
• This reduced likelihood of recidivism was observed within a 5-year follow-up period.

Conclusions:

• Remedial CME appears effective in reducing physician disciplinary recidivism in specific contexts.
• Mandatory remedial CME can serve as a valuable tool for state medical boards to improve physician practice.
• The findings support the use of remedial CME as an intervention to enhance physician accountability and patient safety.