LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA) today announced that it has joined three other leading medical organizations in sending a formal joint letter to the Michigan Legislature urging rejection of House Bill 5313, legislation that would cut continuing medical education (CME) requirements for Michigan physicians in half.
The letter was signed by the presidents of the Michigan Osteopathic Association (MOA), the Michigan Association of Osteopathic Family Physicians (MAOFP), the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), and the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) – a coalition representing physicians and local osteopathic societies across Michigan and the nation who are united in their opposition to weakening physician education standards.
HB 5313 would reduce the number of CME hours Michigan physicians are required to complete, a change the coalition argues would directly harm patients by allowing doctors to fall behind on evolving treatments, emerging research, and updated standards of care.
“The practice of medicine is not static. New treatments, new research, and new standards of care emerge constantly,” said Dr. Adam Hunt, DO, MHS, FACEP, president of the MOA Board of Trustees.” Continuing education is not a burden placed on physicians. It is the mechanism by which the oath we each took is honored every single day.”
Michigan’s osteopathic physicians, Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs), make up a significant share of the state’s healthcare workforce, providing care across urban medical centers and rural communities alike. The letter stressed that patients in every region of Michigan trust that their physicians are keeping pace with medical advances, and that reducing CME requirements sends exactly the wrong message.
The letter also cited research published in the Journal of Patient Experience finding that most patients across age groups and backgrounds said they would lose trust in a physician if they learned that the physician had lobbied to reduce their own continuing education requirements.
“Continuing education is not a burden placed on physicians, but rather it is the mechanism by which the oath we took on becoming physicians is honored every single day. It is how we ensure that the patient who walks through the door today receives the best medicine has to offer today – not the best of five or ten years ago,” the letter states.
The letter also noted that the bill would affect allopathic physicians and their patients in addition to DOs, arguing that lowering the standard for any physician ultimately lowers it for all patients in Michigan. MOA and its partners are calling on all members of the Michigan Legislature to vote no on HB 5313.
