According to the Accreditation Council for CME's 2000 Annual Report, (www.accme.org)the CME industry is a $1 billion plus industry. Expenses went from about $920 million in 1999 to one billion — nearly a nine percent increase. Income went from $1.1 billion in 1999 to $1.2 billion in 2000, also about a nine percent increase. The report is based on information submitted by the ACCME's 680 member providers (up from 655 in 1999).
While anecdotal reports have indicated that commercial support is declining, the ACCME report shows an increase from about $387 million in 1999 to $466 million in 2000 — approximately a 20 percent increase.
ACCME executive director, Murray Kopelow, MD, says the most significant trend is the 62 percent increase in Internet activities: from 1,012 in 1999 to 1,626 in 2000.
The report shows that CME “is a well-funded enterprise that is going up rather than down,” says Kopelow.