Maintaining Continuity in Decision Making
Recognized Accreditors are responsible for ensuring the continuity of the accreditation of their providers. This includes making timely accreditation decisions, and granting accreditation extensions to providers if they cannot receive a new decision prior to their current term expiration. In order to protect the integrity of the accreditation system, extensions of accreditation terms cannot exceed eight months.
The ACCME supports Recognized Accreditors in maintaining accurate records of their accredited providers’ accreditation term and expiration information. The ACCME views this not only as a service to accreditors, but as a responsibility to the accreditation system as a whole.
To facilitate this, the ACCME provides an on-line system that accreditors use to report information regarding their accreditation decisions. It is the obligation of each Recognized Accreditor to provide information regarding their accreditation decisions to the ACCME within four weeks after a decision is rendered.
As part of the ACCME’s efforts to support Recognized Accreditors and to maintain accurate accreditation decision information, the ACCME routinely identifies state-accredited providers that have terms expiring in the upcoming four month period, and makes this information available to the Recognized Accreditor.
The ACCME publishes lists of all currently-accredited providers on its website. These lists are valuable resources to many different audiences.
Annual Reporting
ACCME Recognized Accreditors use the ACCME’s Annual Report system to collect annual report data from each of their accredited providers. The purpose of this data collection is to compile a description of the size and scope of the CME enterprise in the United States, e.g., the number and type of activities planned and executed, the number of hours offered, the number of physician learners taught, and the amount of commercial support received. These data are published on ACCME’s website as a service to accreditors, accredited providers, other members of the CME community, and the public. Obtaining data regarding state-accredited providers’ CME programs is critical is gaining an accurate understanding of the accreditation system as a whole. View recent and historical ACCME Annual Report Data.
Informing ACCME of Personnel Changes
In order to keep accreditors aware of important policy updates as well as information specific to their individual recognition, the ACCME requires Recognized Accreditors to inform the ACCME of any personnel or organizational changes that could impact the ACCME’s ability to contact them. These types of changes include changes of address or phone number, and changes to the individual to whom accreditors would like the ACCME to send correspondence. Personnel or organizational changes must be reported to the ACCME in writing.
