SNM announces deal with GE for Web-based CME project

The Society of Nuclear Medicine announced its first exclusive alliance with a single industry vendor when it joined with General Electric Medical Systems to develop educational programs for the nuclear medicine community.

According to the agreement, the 13,000-member SNM will provide clinical content for continuing medical education courses and other lectures and presentations, while GE will be offered first opportunity to develop and deliver the material in Web-, satellite-, and computer-based programs and information for continuing medical education credit.

“The details are to be worked out, but we saw the need and GE saw the need,” said Dr. Robert Carretta, the SNM’s president. “This meets ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education) guidelines with the content controlled by the SNM, while GE will provide TV and satellite facilities.”

The SNM already offers CME courses over the Web, but they are strictly text-based, with students doing required reading and then completing multiple-answer tests online, he said.

“With GE’s real-time satellite broadcasting, the courses will be more interactive, with more expert-to-peer programs,” Carretta said. “We haven’t fleshed out just how it will work, but I see us producing CD-ROMs and other media for people’s libraries.”

Carretta said the GE agreement does not preclude the SNM from working with other corporate sponsors, except on Web-based CME endeavors.

“I can see corporations putting on educational symposia at SNM meetings, with the society as the venue, when they want to showcase new radiology cameras or other new technology,” he said.

There will be no money changing hands, Carretta said, unless a grant were to come from GE.

“Competency is becoming more important with managed care. We are trying to provide CME for doctors and technologists in remote locations who can’t come to meetings,” he said. “We’ll probably have some growing pains, but I think this is a unique opportunity.”