Many healthcare organizations rely on a learning management system, or LMS, to manage training, continuing education (CE), and compliance. But finding the best healthcare LMS for CE and compliance isn't easy, since options differ in their features and focus. This guide explains what to look for in your next LMS and provides a comparison of healthcare compliance training software, so you can choose the best fit for your organization.
What Is a Healthcare LMS for CE and Compliance?
Hospitals, clinics, health associations, and other related organizations use a healthcare learning management system to manage their training programs. These tools may contain native support for CE tracking, accreditation reporting, and compliance that a general corporate training LMS doesn't offer.
Why Do Healthcare Organizations Need a Specialized LMS for CE and Compliance?
General LMS systems often lack support for tracking manual CE credits. This puts an organization at risk, particularly if it's charged with reporting its employees' training credits to different accreditation boards. Specialized continuing medical education software fills in the gaps with support for CE tracking and management, minimizing audit risk and reporting complexity.
What Features Matter Most When Comparing Healthcare LMS Options?
A standout healthcare LMS includes:
- Accreditation reporting integrations: Enables healthcare companies to submit CE credits directly from the LMS to accrediting organizations
- Automated credit and certificate tracking: Monitors credits and certificates automatically, without relying on manual calculations
- Compliance dashboards: Provide visual analytics that identify when users are short on credits or missing details required for audits
- Role-based access: Controls which tools and records each user has access to, which is essential for large and multi-site organizations
How Do the Top Ten Healthcare LMS Options Compare for CE and Compliance?
The below healthcare CE platform comparison breaks down leading products, including their capabilities and core focus.
EthosCE
Best for: Large healthcare companies and associations that need an all-in-one system to manage course creation, track CE credits, and report to accrediting organizations.
Cadmium's EthosCE is built exclusively for healthcare organizations seeking a way to manage continuing education. Its user-friendly interface includes pre-made templates for course development, enabling you to create a full-scale course library.
Native analytics reporting tools track each learner's course completion, progress, CE credits, and certifications. CPE Monitor, JA PARS, CE Broker, and ACCME PARS reporting enable you to report credits to prominent healthcare accreditation boards. Administrators can view a compliance dashboard that shows which users are current and behind.
EthosCE provides mobile tools, so learners can view courses from their smartphones and tablets. Mid- and large-scale healthcare organizations, including hospitals and associations, will find EthosCE a strong fit for their workflows.
HealthStream
Best for: Hospitals and large healthcare companies that need access to a content library and compliance tools.
HealthStream is a well-known LMS that's used by hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations to manage ongoing training. Users get access to a marketplace of vetted courses that are tailored to various healthcare roles. They can also create their own educational materials, although the process requires some trial and error.
A key feature of HealthStream is assigned learning. Administrators can require users to take courses based on their roles or compliance requirements. They can also set deadlines and enable notifications, which tell learners when a course is ready to view.
HealthStream offers user- and administrator-based reporting tools to monitor course progress and completion. Adding the HealthStream CE Management module enables teams to report training to PARS, JA PARS, CPE Monitor, NARS, and CEBroker.
Relias
Best for: Small and mid-sized healthcare practices that need access to ready-made CE courses.
Relias is a CE and CME LMS that supports in-house compliance and training workflows for healthcare staff. Its key feature is a library that gives employees access to over 4,500 certified or accredited courses. Staff can take these courses to meet professional, new hire, and ongoing training requirements.
Smaller healthcare facilities will find Relias a solid option for on-demand course availability. However, it lacks tools to create your own courses or report hours to accrediting boards automatically.
Reporting tools are limited to monitoring and tracking course completions. Administrators can assign mandatory and suggested training based on each learner's role or team. Add-ons include support for monitoring patient quality care, recruiting, and onboarding.
Docebo
Best for: Organizations that want an AI-powered LMS that supports all roles, including healthcare practitioners
Docebo is a general-purpose LMS that provides training and compliance content for all types of learners, including healthcare staff. It's well-suited for organizations of any size, delivering personalized courses based on a user's skills, knowledge gaps, and certification or compliance requirements.
Docebo leans heavily on its AI features. Its AI tools can create course content and engage with learners through gamification, quizzes, and real-time interaction. Teams can also deploy no-code AI agents within the platform to manage administrative workflows.
Docebo includes access to over 23,000 courses of all flavors. HIPAA training and medical content are included in its marketplace. However, it does not currently include native integrations for CE reporting to accrediting boards.
MedTrainer
Best for: Healthcare organizations that need to manage compliance, credentialing, and training in a single system.
MedTrainer is a comprehensive healthcare compliance platform. It includes three modules: Learning, Compliance, and Credentialing. The Learning module provides access to over 1,000 courses that cover common compliance needs, including HIPAA, HRSA, and OSHA. Teams can also upload their own course content to support organization-level compliance and training requirements.
MedTrainer is known for being user-friendly and intuitive. Implementation and setup are straightforward, enabling teams to start using the system within days. However, MedTrainer lacks the CME and CE automated reporting tools that other systems may offer.
TalentLMS
Best for: Small healthcare practices that need a cost-efficient way to manage general compliance requirements.
TalentLMS is a global solution designed for all types of industries, including healthcare. It offers ready-made content for onboarding, compliance, and continuous education, with courses covering HIPAA, safety, and training. Administrators can create training workflows for specific roles and teams, automating the course assignment and reminder process.
Teams that want to address skill gaps can take advantage of the TalentLMS AI features. They identify areas where users fall short and recommend a learning path. Teams can also leverage TalentCraft to create AI-built classes from scratch.
A unique feature of TalentLMS is its free plan, which is available for teams with five or fewer learners. That makes it a good fit for small practices that need to stay on top of general training requirements, but aren't ready to commit to an expensive LMS subscription.
Absorb LMS
Best for: Organizations that need a general LMS for onboarding, training, and compliance.
Think of Absorb LMS as a handy course creator and marketplace where you can develop, purchase, and sell all types of content for your organization. While not exclusively designed for healthcare companies, it supports their compliance needs with HIPAA, security, and other training content.
Administrators can set up automated workflows to assign related courses and track completion. They can also create customizable dashboards with useful metrics, including learner engagement and productivity.
Absorb LMS offers over 40 integrations with systems you may already use, including Salesforce and Workday. However, organizations that need support for LMS accreditation tracking for CE may want to consider other options.
Tovuti
Best for: Organizations that want to create their own courses using AI.
Tovuti boasts a flexible, AI-powered LMS platform for everyday training, compliance, and onboarding. Teams get access to over 30,000 courses, and they can create their own branded content from uploaded materials or using generative AI. Material is available for HIPAA, OSHA, and similar compliance regulations.
Tovuti is turnkey, so there is minimal implementation or setup required to get started. It offers over 7,000 API integrations, which is ideal for healthcare companies that need to connect it with their ERP or HRIS system.
Cornerstone
Best for: Healthcare organizations seeking to boost staff career development.
As new healthcare technologies and treatments are introduced, staff must stay up-to-date to avoid falling behind. Cornerstone addresses the gap with its curated LMS that detects capabilities and weaknesses, providing teams with a curated learning path.
Organizations can create their own learning content or access it through Cornerstone's library. It also provides talent tools, which help teams identify successor candidates for roles across their entire workforce.
Cornerstone includes built-in dashboards and analytics that track learning and compliance. A mobile app is available for learning on the go.
Litmos
Best for: Healthcare organizations that need to automate compliance training and certification tracking.
Litmos combines onboarding and ongoing compliance tracking in a single solution. Healthcare organizations can create role-specific onboarding tasks for nurses, assistants, and staff, ensuring that everyone receives the training they need from the moment they start their job.
The platform's compliance tools map mandatory HIPAA and training requirements for each employee. Administrators can download audit-ready reports for Joint Commission and state surveys.
Litmos gives you the option to create your own branded content or access premade courses through its library. Administrators can track progress and completion on dedicated dashboards.
Which of These Platforms Specialize in Continuing Medical Education?
The majority of healthcare LMS platforms are designed for everyday workforce training and compliance. Only a few, such as EthosCE, are built specifically with CME and CE credit and accreditation in mind. If CME is something you want help managing, you'll want to avoid general-purpose solutions in favor of a platform that delivers CME tracking, course delivery, and reporting.
How Do You Choose the Right Healthcare LMS for Your Organization?
When searching for a healthcare LMS, evaluate products by their:
- Accreditation reporting tools: Some tools only track course completions. Ask whether the system handles automated credit tracking and accreditation reporting, too.
- Implementation time: Tools may be turnkey or require longer setup times. Understand the work involved so you can determine whether it fits your timeline.
- Total cost of ownership: Evaluate each system's pricing and compare it with your budget. Know that some platforms charge extra for course content and other add-ons, which you'll want to include in the final cost.
How Can EthosCE Support Your CE and Compliance Program?
EthosCE is a healthcare and association LMS built for hospitals, academic health systems, and other organizations that need to manage continuing education. Our customers include the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, which saw a 62% jump in course enrollments after implementing the system. To explore how EthosCE can support your healthcare organization's continuing education needs, schedule a demo today.
