MPI is recognized as a leader in compliance education by the medical meeting industry. And I’m pleased to announce that the association is celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate (HMCC) program this year.
The program—which will be offered at WEC Vegas in June as part of a full lineup of pre-conference education—was designed to prepare healthcare meeting professionals for the countless legal, regulatory and ethical issues that apply to manufacturers and healthcare professionals. Attendees gain the knowledge they need to effectively manage their organizations’ medical meetings.
I launched the HMCC program in 2014 in partnership with Saint Louis University. In 2016, MPI purchased the program to offer specialized education to heighten the knowledge and performance of medical meeting professionals, promote the impact of changing legislative rules on medical meetings and advance personal and professional growth.
The certificate was designed to authenticate HMCCs who have validated a proficiency in understanding the specific, global regulations, laws and best practices in managing medical meetings.
Currently there are more than 2,600 HMCCs representing 17 countries. In 2019, the HMCC was delivered to our first Asian class.
More About the HMCC Program
Every healthcare meeting professional must balance unprecedented changes and demands related to understanding the global impact of healthcare compliance. They must tackle tough regulations and adjust and readjust priorities while keeping one eye on the short term and the other on long-term survival—a tough job without a continuing flow of knowledge. Earning the HMCC is an investment in your future and your company’s success.
The program provides a foundation in key healthcare disciplines in a condensed format and is designed for planners and suppliers who need a broader understanding of a full range of regulatory topics. It is taught by professionals and faculty members specifically trained to develop a competency foundation while building critical-thinking skills through case studies, business simulation, discussion and active exercises.
The intensive, four-hour program isn’t structured in a pass/fail format, offers a certificate that is valid for two years (a 90-minute refresher course is offered) and will help you successfully navigate the increasingly complex pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device regulatory environment. Participants will enhance healthcare compliance management skills; recognize unique terminologies; process reporting management with samples; understand transfers of values; learn the who, what, where and how of the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (Open Payments); and learn sales and marketing tips.
HMCC classes are now also offered virtually (including the June 14 class preceding WEC Vegas) through an interactive and easy-to-navigate platform. Private sessions are available for companies that want to train teams in a private environment or focus on internal planning processes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
As the HMCC program manager, I am frequently asked questions about the certificate program. Some common questions include the following.
Why did you initially write the Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate program?
I was teaching, as an adjunct professor, at Saint Louis University and with the passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010, I realized the impact it would have on medical meetings and how important it would be to share relevant information. I first wrote the book, Breaking the Code to Healthcare Compliance and used it as my resource to write the HMCC program.
Who, typically, participates in the classes?
HMCC recipients include:
• Healthcare Corporate Meeting Planners
• Third-party Meeting Planners
• Healthcare Association Meeting Planners
• Hotels
• Independent Meeting Planners
• CVBs
• DMCs and PCOs
• Contract Research Organizations
• Procurement
• Compliance
• Legal
• A/V and Production Companies
• Restaurants
• Venues
• Academic
• Hospitals
• Group Purchasing Organization
• Physicians
Why do so many hotels take the HMCC?
National Health Expenditure Data (NHE) grew 4.6 percent to $3.8 trillion in 2019, or $11,582 per person, and accounted for 17.7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP); $3.56 billion was reported spent under the General Payments of CMS for 2019. This included meeting spend. The healthcare industry spends a great deal of monies on meetings and hotels want to benefit from this segment.
Why do you think it is important for healthcare meeting professionals to obtain the designation?
All information offered in the HMCC class is current and taken directly from the country laws and regulations and it is imperative to understand the “roots” of these rules to avoid violations and penalties.
How does it help destination CVBs?
Medical meeting professionals want to go to destinations that understand the medical meeting industry.
Do participants have to have their CMP or other credentials to sit for the certificate?
There are no prerequisites for the class, it is not skill specific, there are no tests and no “pass/fail.” Simply by attending the four-hour class, one will receive their certificate.
Why are private classes so successful?
It is always better to offer consistent training to an entire team. And, even better, if their compliance director and compliance attorney attend. Many times, these groups do not exchange ideas together.
How does MPI support the HMCC?
MPI manages all logistics for each class, as well as marketing, promotion and sponsorship.
Who are the trainers and what is their expertise?
Our faculty consists of subject matter experts and includes Jackie Beaulieu (Poretta & Orr), Simon Dufaur (D4 Management - Europe), Marlize Eckert (GCO Global - Europe), Judy Johnson (Schaumann Consulting Group), Dusty Korbel (Syneos Health) and Michael Varlotta (Janssen Pharmaceutical).
How long is the certificate valid?
The HMCC Certificate is valid for 2 years. At the end of the 2 years recipients must take a 1.5 hour, virtual Refresh class.
Do I have to pre-study or do pre-work before the class?
We encourage attendees to pre-read our resource book, Breaking the Code to Healthcare Compliance, but it is not required.
What does the future of compliance look like?
Healthcare compliance is not a fad. My favorite quote is “Greater transparency in medicine should be welcomed. A world in which the best experts in science and healthcare are free of commercial influence is surely desirable.”
Is information about virtual meetings included in the HMCC training?
Yes.
Does MPI offer any special groups for healthcare professionals?
Yes, MPI has a special interest community for healthcare professionals, “MPI Medical and Healthcare Professionals.” There are currently nearly 1,000 members and many programs and peer group information are provided.
WHAT DO INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS SAY ABOUT THE HMCC PROGRAM?
Meet some of our HMCCs
To better understand the benefits of receiving the Healthcare Meeting Compliance Certificate, we interviewed several of our recipients.
Rawya Tullgren, HMCC
Head, Global Meetings & Events Strategy
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Rawya, you and your team recently received their HMCC. Why did you want to invest the time and effort in to training your team?
“Working in a highly regulated industry, it is of utmost importance to have the awareness and competence in the latest compliance regulations that impact interaction with healthcare professionals.
Hence as pharma employees it is necessary to be up to date in this ever-changing and heavily regulated environment that requires the most updated info and knowledge for HCP regulations.
The HMCC is a great venue and training program that provided the ‘all-inclusive’ requirements for interacting with HCP and managing compliance. I say all Inclusive because the course is not limited to one geography, one type of HCP or one type of healthcare organization.
Twenty-four attended the course from Takeda: Some worked directly and very closely with HCPs, others interacted occasionally with HCPs and some had no direct interaction—yet having the knowledge of the regulations is important for risk mitigation.
As a global and diverse company, the course introduced and discussed our needs for building skills to manage compliance requirements:
· Global unique terminologies in the T&E management and design process
· Oversee process reporting management across a variety of sectors, regions and countries
· Meet new reporting and submission timelines and understand transfers of values, and what that means for T&E
· Risk mitigation
Everyone who attended the course was in awe at the amount of useful information provided.”
Mozelle Goodwin, CMP, HMCC
Global Account Professional
d/b/a Goodwin Consulting
You have had your HMCC for quite a while and you contribute to the industry in many ways. What advice would you give to someone who might be considering sitting for the HMCC and how has it been a benefit for you?
“If I had to pick one word for my HMCC, it would be CONFIDENCE. Having my HMCC designation for over five years now has given me an extra bit of confidence when meeting with clients and helping industry colleagues (showing them the advantage of an HMCC along the way). This confidence comes from being a part of the conversation, asking the right questions so I can provide the best options for programming based on corporate and government compliance policies. Clients are very grateful and know they can depend on me to remind them of all items in relation to compliance from the meeting perspective. I gain their respect due to the knowledge I've gained and letting them know the repercussions of going against the guidelines in place are very serious, and could be costly to the company, not just their department. Earning their confidence gives me more confidence.”
Kurt Wyllie, HMCC
Medical Engagement, SAP, Compliance and Learning and Development Professional
GlaxoSmithKline
Pharmaceutical company
Kurt, why did you decide to take the HMCC class now?
“I decided to get the HMCC in order to formalize my understanding of healthcare meeting compliance and be able to brush up on new regulations in an ever-changing space.”
Mike Lee, HMCC
Vice President of Sales
Marina Bay Sands - Singapore
Mike, you organized the first HMCC class in Asia. Why was it important for you and your team at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to receive the HMCC?
“Upskilling the team is a key priority at Marina Bay Sands. Having a HMCC-certified team has provided us with a good foundation in understanding the complexity of the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device regulatory environment. Our team of trained professionals is able to effectively navigate and adapt to the changing landscape by customizing and curating an unforgettable event experience for our healthcare clients.”
Lindsay Matheson, HMCC
Business Development Manager, Life Sciences
Destination Canada
We have seen changes in compliance regulations in Canada over the past several years. How important is it for Destination Canada to stay updated on changes and how do you demonstrate your healthcare compliance knowledge to your clients and prospects?
“You’re right, we have seen many changes to meeting compliance in Canada over the past number of years. Staying up to date on healthcare compliance is key for Destination Canada, and our partner cities and venues across the country. We’ve been intentional about developing relationships with key bodies (such as Health Canada and Innovative Medicines Canada) so we can stay on top of Health Canada’s policy and any updates to supplementary ethical standards. Destination Canada has developed a resource for meeting planners which aims to outline the directive and guides planners to additional resources to aid their planning process. Further, Destination Canada is working with our cities and venues across our country to become certified in Canada’s Healthcare Meeting Compliance. There will be a wide range of cities, hotels and conference centers across Canada that will be certified and able to help clients navigate Canada’s compliance standards when planning meetings. When you’re planning many meetings in many countries, it can be hard to stay on top of the varying rules and requirements. We hope that with this expertise held by Destination Canada and our partners, meeting planners can work more closely with our venues and have full confidence that their meeting will be compliant when booked in Canada.”
Eileen Jopski, HMCC
SVP Service Delivery & Implementation
HealthSTAR Strategic Engagements (HSE)
Eileen, what does your company do and why was it important for you and several of your team to receive their HMCC?
“HealthSTAR Strategic Engagements (HSE) is the industry leader in executing compliant promotional education, medical and advisory engagements with seamless service delivery and a robust technology platform, having executed over 1.9 million engagements since 1998. As the life science compliance landscape continues to evolve, it is critical for HSE team members to regularly participate in compliance-oriented awareness and training programs. HMCC continues to be a resource that my team and I look to for ongoing compliance landscape awareness and training.”
Rachel (Stroik) Welsh, CMP, HMCC
Manager, Global Conventions & Events
ABBVIE Pharmaceutical
Neuromodulation
Rachel, working for a big pharma, how important is it for you to stay updated and knowledgeable about healthcare compliance? Did the HMCC provide information that you could use in your daily job responsibilities?
“Working for a large medical device company, it is critical to have a solid understanding of the ever-changing rules and regulations surrounding healthcare compliance. The knowledge I gained from the HMCC class was insightful and valuable to me as a planner that plans meetings and events globally.”
Telesa Via
Vice President of Sales
Kimpton Hotels
Kimpton Hotels took a rather unique approach for the hotels by requiring all properties to have an HMCC on staff to better serve healthcare meetings. Can you explain your reasoning for the initiative, and how do you plan to share this expertise with your clients and prospects?
“At Kimpton, one of our biggest focuses is to create a more seamless experience for healthcare and pharmaceutical planners, as well as end clients. Last year, we took it one step further and hosted a Council of Experts to gain more insight, then used that insight to roll out an initiative called Kimpton + Pharma: We’ve Got Chemistry. The main objective was to show the real secret to our success which is the power of human connection. By ensuring that every property had a HMCC-certified partner on property, we were able to elevate the overall customer experience. We wanted to forge deeper connections with pharmaceutical meeting and event planners with two simple words that have become the brand’s unofficial mantra: Stay Human. It’s a simple expression of the thoughtfulness and care that Kimpton gives to the human spirit. And it’s shared by pharmaceutical and life science companies in the meaningful work they do every day. It’s all about the relationship-first approach that Kimpton sellers swear by.”
Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash