Organizations are like battleships: They are complex, have lots of moving parts, and it takes considerable time and effort to turn them around. But it can be done using CME, said David Price, MD, and George Mejicano, MD, in a session this morning.

Some of the key takeaways for me:

* Physicians work in systems, even if they’re sole practitioners. Every patient has a team involved in their care, and you need to touch every person on that team to affect change.

*Find ways to show the benefits of change from the organization’s perspective, not the CME department’s. And remember that every person in the organization is coming at change from their own unique perspective that varies based on their resources, barriers, incentives, etc.

* Change happens over time, and it will happen at different times in different parts of the system.

* Don’t take the lowest performing 20 percent and hammer them with educational interventions — they may be the least likely to lead change. Instead, find the early adapters and get them on board and passionate about the change. It will ripple down. The tipping point comes when 10 to 20 percent of people are doing the new thing; then it takes on a life of its own.

* Don’t talk CME speak. Talk in the language of your stakeholders. They aren’t “learning objectives,” they’re “performance expectations” because that’s what you expect them to walk out the door and do.

Key quote: “The role of the CME professional is to be an organizational yenta (and a nudge)”–David Price.

All in all, it was stuffed with good advice and suggestions. I’d give it two thumbs up if my hands weren’t so sore from all that note-taking…