NORD Launches CME Challenge to Address Rare Disease Diagnostic Delays

Event summary

  • NORD launched the 'Earn Your Stripes: Rare Disease CME Challenge' on February 23, 2026, running through March 31.
  • The initiative aims to improve early diagnosis and management of rare diseases among healthcare professionals.
  • Over 30 million Americans live with a rare disease, often facing years-long diagnostic delays.
  • Medlive has partnered with NORD for six years, delivering education to over 76,000 clinicians, patients, and caregivers.
  • 93% of participating clinicians reported positive changes to their practice after previous Medlive/NORD programming.

The big picture

The initiative highlights a systemic problem: a significant gap in rare disease education for clinicians, contributing to delayed diagnoses and poorer patient outcomes. This challenge represents a targeted effort to address this gap, leveraging a proven partnership between NORD and Medlive. The program's reliance on video-based learning suggests a broader trend towards digital continuing education in the healthcare sector.

What we're watching

Adoption Rate
The challenge's success hinges on broad adoption by primary care physicians and pediatricians, which will determine the impact on diagnostic timelines and patient outcomes.
Content Efficacy
The effectiveness of the video-first CME content will be crucial; Medlive's past success rate (93% positive change) sets a high bar for demonstrable impact.
Scalability
NORD's ability to expand the program beyond the initial challenge period and integrate it into ongoing clinician training will be key to long-term impact on rare disease awareness.