I just got back from the annual conference of the American Medical Writers Association in Memphis (still scarred by hearing the Saturday night band at BB King’s Blues Club lead with “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. And it only got worse. It was like a awful wedding. But I digress).

One of the sessions I led at the conference focused on ways that Google Hangout and Hangout On Air can be used in personal and professional circles. During the session, I “beamed in” two writers from opposite coasts to lend additional perspective to the discussion and to demonstrate to the audience how Hangouts work and what they look like.

The main takeaway of the audience? “Wow, that was easy!”

I wasn’t surprised. It’s the same reaction we got from a number of our panelists who had never participated in a Hangout before our test run. Apparently, something new and different automatically carries with it the assumption of a steep learning curve. Is that the way we all looked at cell phones the first time one was thrust in front of us? I honestly don’t remember.

A few technology providers have contacted Derek and I over the last few weeks offering their platforms in case something goes wrong with the Hangouts. I’m not here to malign or undervalue any of these providers (and watch as our thousands of viewers crash “the Google” on Wednesday after I’ve said this), but there really is very little that Derek and I are worried about on the technology front. We have both used Hangouts dozens of times for personal and professional purposes with very little problem. Sure, there are minor issues that crop up from time to time, but it’s rarely more than making sure the audio on your computer isn’t muted.

We’re now a little less than 48 hours away from the start of CMEpalooza, and we’re about as ready as we can be. Our moderators and panelists have come up with some great agendas and discussion guides to keep them on track.

We hope that what they say both surprises and engages you.

We hope that you take the opportunity to ask questions and interact with our panelists — we’ll remind you how to do this at the start of each session.

We hope that you gather your colleagues around you to watch a session or two, and then discuss what it means to your organization.

And we hope, at the end of the day, that you say, “Wow, that was easy!”

Today, we catch up with John Ruggiero, PhD, CCMEP, Senior Medical Education Manager in the Independent Medical Education Department at Genentech. John will be chairing our 1 p.m. session entitled, “What Do Supporters Do With Outcomes Data?” This session is sponsored by Imedex.

A few of John’s insights:

Why are you optimistic about the future of CME?

I am really encouraged that so many people within our industry are starting to talk about engagement with learning. Especially with issues such as healthcare reform, we need to start focusing on what it takes to be implementation science managers or start talking the language of implementation science so that we can start addressing tactics or activities that are related to engagement and learning.

So, (it’s a question of) what kinds of CME programs can be done? What kinds of patient education pieces can be done? What kind of peer-to-peer interactions can we all be part of?

What scares you about the future of CME?

We have an industry of professionals who are greatly skilled on continuing education who are sometimes overly focused on some of the issues that we should leave to other experts. For example, I hear a lot about Sunshine Act and how Sunshine Act is going to impact our industry. Obviously, it’s a relevant concern, but these are issues that I think we can get past. We need to focus on more relevant issues like quality improvement and clinical integration and things along the lines of engagement of learning.

What do you feel has been most important change to CME in last 5 years?

I’m really encouraged to see that outcomes plans have been enhanced. I’m happy to see that people aren’t just using Moore’s 7 levels of outcomes, but are using that and moving forward with things to add to those metrics. Looking at national quality service pillars and expectations that are mandated by the federal government. Seeing how the national quality health strategies can be incorporated into medical education programs or engagement in learning tactics.

Check out John’s full interview below:

We’re back today with the fourth of our CMEpalooza Fall moderator interviews. This one is with Lawrence Sherman, Senior Vice President of Educational Strategy at Prova Education. Lawrence will be kicking off CMEpalooza Fall at our 9 a.m. session — The Future of CME: What Will CME/CPD Look Like in 5-10 Years?

A few of his more salient insights:

On the things that scare him about the future of CME:

The first thing is that it seems to me that there is no shortage of CME in areas where funding is available and educational needs exist, but there may be a shortage of CME in areas that are not as sexy and not as fundable. I am concerned that that imbalance may lead to bigger gaps in education and bigger challenges in improving patient care.

The second thing that worries me is that we get lost in the definition of what CME is. It’s not just, “Can we measure to level 5 outcomes in this?” but, “Did we find what the needs were, and did we meet those needs?”

On the most important change to CME in the last 5 years:

People are always down on the ACCME. I’m not. When they changed and updated their criteria two times ago, they helped to ensure that accredited providers are really educators. It may be difficult at times to do the paperwork, but it’s because we have to document that what we are doing is truly educational. That helped those folks who were out there doing a little education and a little other stuff to decide ‘What is it that we want to do?’ And if they chose education, they had to be committed to be educators.

On his best personal learning experience in the last year?

My best learning experience has been to continue to incorporate new ideas, technologies, and approaches into what we do. Sometimes in our industry, it seems like Groundhog Day. “I’ll just repurpose something,” or “That approach will work again,” or, “We’ll just renew that.” The reality is that everything is new, everything is unique, and everything is different.

You can watch the full interview below: