Outcomes and Effectiveness Reporting

NCME firmly believes in measuring the effectiveness of CME programs by assessing patient outcomes. A customized outcomes evaluation is the primary tool for measurementand is sent to participants 3-6 months after an activity. The outcomes evaluation measures participants' success in achieving and sustaining practice changes that they anticipated as part of the original activity evaluation's "learning contract".

Another means of outcomes reporting is through follow-up teleconferences. This is especially useful in assessing the progress made by NCME’s live hospital programs. For example, we can assess an entire team’s actions at 6-month intervals after they attend a CME workshop designed to help implement newly published guidelines or conform to JCAHO requirements.

Where budget allows, NCME implements Level 4 Outcomes Measurement following a program to determine whether changes in practice have taken place and are sustained.