The ACCME would like to continue our discussions with stakeholders concerning the future of our CME system.
The ACCME Board of Directors engaged in strategic planning in 2011 and identified three strategic imperatives:
First, to foster ACCME leadership and engagement;
Second, to evolve and simplify the accreditation standards, process, and system;
And third, to explore and build a more diversified portfolio of ACCME products and services.
The Board incorporated feedback from stakeholders to identify these priorities. Now, we are seeking your creative and constructive suggestions for how to fulfill them. This year, there will be many opportunities for the CME community and other stakeholders to engage with us about these goals.
The ACCME accreditation system and process have been evolving for many years. The current accreditation requirements have been in place since 2006, and more than 80% of accredited providers have been reviewed under these requirements.
At this point, we believe it would be beneficial to reflect on what works, what might not work, what brings value, and what could be improved in support of accredited CME that Matters to Patient Care and in support of a fair, consistent, and accurate system and process for accredited CME at the state and national levels.
During our conversations, we are asking stakeholders the following questions:
Do the ACCME’s accreditation requirements, process, and system add value to what you do? What does not add value?
What would you add or take away from the ACCME’s accreditation requirements, process, and system to improve them?
What gaps and unmet needs do you observe in your organization, among your stakeholders, and in the overall CME system that could be addressed by the ACCME?
We are also exploring the role of accredited CME in the evolving health care system. We are convening CME and other health care system stakeholders to discuss:
How can we support the alignment across the medical education and lifelong learning continuum, including Maintenance of Licensure, Maintenance of Certification, and CME?
How can we work together to create a more effective, efficient and simplified system of physician accountability?
During the coming months, we will hold a variety of forums with our volunteers, state medical societies, accredited providers, and other stakeholders to address these questions.
We will announce these forums in our enewsletter and on our Web site, and we encourage you to contribute your ideas and perspectives.
We have not defined a timeline for change and do not have preconceived suggestions for changes. We plan to have ongoing conversations with stakeholders before drafting any proposed changes. If and when we are ready to propose changes, we will gather further feedback through a call for comment, in accordance with our Rule-Making Policy.
We look forward to working with you to shape the future of our CME system.
