News 

RESERVE YOUR SPOT FOR LEARN TO THRIVE 2023 

Take time for your professional development this spring! We’re excited to welcome the accredited education community back to Chicago for Learn to Thrive 2023, ACCME’s annual meeting, on May 16-18 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. Throughout the meeting, you’ll have the chance to listen to dynamic keynotes, learn from your colleagues in peer-led sessions, ask ACCME staff your questions, explore our new exhibit hall, and more. This in-person meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity to forge new connections, strategize in new ways, and level up and apply your skills to support your CE program and community.

Be sure to reserve your spot by 5:00 pm CT on Friday, April 21. Register now to ensure access to your preferred sessions, which fill up on a first-come-first-served basis.

Day One – Keynote Spotlight 

The first day of Learn to Thrive 2023 starts on a high note with the Jazz Institute of Chicago! Join educator Robert Irving, III, Musical Director of the Miles Electric Band and former collaborator with the iconic Ramsey Lewis and legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, as he leads an ensemble of students and veteran Chicago Jazz musicians for a unique look at team-based education in action. This keynote will explore how team-based learning makes high-performance creativity and innovation possible.

Plan Your Stay in the Windy City 

Looking for fun things to do while you’re in Chicago for Learn to Thrive 2023? We have you covered! From shopping and dining to river boat tours and world-class museums, there is no shortage of things to do and see just steps from the Sheraton Grand Chicago. Check out our Venue & City webpage for more attractions to make the most of your time in the Windy City.

ACCME CALL FOR COMMENT ON DIGITAL DATA MANAGEMENT IN CME

We want to hear from you! The ACCME has been working to simplify the management of CME credits and seeks comments from accredited providers on the best next steps to support this evolution and maximize participation from all providers in the digital ecosystem. Your comments will be summarized and used to inform future discussions on data management in CME and strategic planning. Please submit your response by Friday, April 7. Learn more and submit your comment.

ABS RETIRES SELF-REPORTING OF CME CREDITS: ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

The American Board of Surgery (ABS) recently announced changes in how their diplomates can receive Continuous Certification (CC, known as MOC credit) for participating in CME activities. Effective July 1, 2023, ABS is discontinuing self-reporting of credits by diplomates. For an ABS surgeon to have their CME credit count toward their ABS CC requirements, it will need to come through PARS. Since ABS accepts any accredited CME relevant to surgery, many providers will have CME activities that would count. If any of your surgeon-learners would like you to report their CME credit, you can register the activity in PARS and report their credit. It will then be made available to ABS and show up in the surgeon’s ABS profile.

Since ABS joined the CME for MOC Collaboration in 2021, all accredited providers have been able to register their CME activities for ABS CC and report their surgeon learners' credit in PARS. Over 150 accredited providers have registered their activities for ABS. There has been no change to require accredited providers to report credit for any of the certifying boards. Participating in the CME for MOC Collaboration remains an optional way for accredited providers to add value to their CME programs and relieve some of the reporting burden from physician learners.

ACCME offers a variety of resources to assist accredited providers with reporting CC/MOC credit:

• CME for MOC Program Guide  

• CME for MOC Beginner’s Guide 

• CME for MOC Planning Worksheet  

• Registering CME Activities for MOC credit  

• Submitting Learner Data for MOC  

Depending on the volume of activities and learners you have, there are several options for both registering activities and reporting your learners' credit. You can enter the information manually in PARS, upload it using an Excel spreadsheet, or use a web services connection to PARS to report the data directly from your LMS. Please send any questions or concerns you may have to info@accme.org.

Reminders for Accredited Providers 

COMPLETE YOUR ANNUAL REPORTING IN PARS BY MARCH 31

To fulfill your annual reporting requirement, you must enter data for your 2022 activities, complete your program summary, and accept the annual agreement in ACCME’s Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS). The deadline for completing your annual reporting requirements is March 31, 2023, but we encourage you to complete your data entry as soon as possible.

Join us for our live webinar on March 21 to answer your questions about annual reporting. For more information and links to educational resources, please visit the Using PARS webpage.

Questions? We're happy to help. Please contact us at info@accme.org.

APPLY FOR ABMS VISITNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM 

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is now accepting applications for the 2023–2024 ABMS Visiting Scholars Program™. This one-year, part-time program facilitates research exploring best practices and innovative approaches that address priorities for the certification community—physician learning and assessment, physician performance, continuing professional development, quality improvement, and patient safety. Applications are due by June 18, 2023 (11:59 pm CT). Learn more about the application process here. 

Education & Resources 

ACCREDITATION MYTH OF THE MONTH: COLLECTING DISCLOSURES 

To support your successful implementation of the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, we’re debunking common myths around accreditation and sharing ways to efficiently plan your CE activities.

Myth: An accredited CME provider must collect a new disclosure from an individual for each activity in which that individual is in control of content.

Reality: Accredited providers can share a copy of the disclosure for the individual on file and confirm if the information is still accurate or if changes need to be made.

“Throughout the years, my team and I have often worked with the same faculty members for our board review and exam prep courses. Instead of asking these individuals to send their basic information we already had on file, our team pre-populated the faculty members’ information and requested that they review to ensure it was still accurate. We also sent prior disclosures, slides, and handouts so faculty members could update these materials as needed or confirm no changes were necessary. Many faculty members thanked us for considerably lessening their workloads.” –Elizabeth Nettleton, CHCP, CME Program Manager, American College of Physicians

Looking for more information? Explore our standards resources webpage, frequently asked questions, and tips for simplifying CE planning.

JOURNAL ARTICLE: REGULATORS COLLABORATE TO DIGITIZE CME FOR AMERICA’S DOCTORS 

In an article published in the Journal of Medical Regulation, “Regulators Collaborate to Digitize CME for America’s Doctors,” author Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME, discusses how regulatory bodies can leverage a digital, centralized data system for continuing education to improve both the physician experience and patient health outcomes. Read the full article here.

EXPLORE DEI RESOURCES 

As part of the ACCME’s mission to create and support a culture of mutual respect, inclusivity, and equity, we are pleased to share the below resources to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in all aspects of accredited education:

• Learn about the root causes of current structural inequities and past unethical medical experimentation by watching the “History of Racism in US Health Care: Root Causes of Today’s Hierarchy and Systems of Power” webinar recording.

• Physicians looking for accredited CME activities can visit CME Passport and search for accredited activities by specialty or keyword that meets their educational needs. Upcoming activities related to diversity are available in CME Passport here. 

• Explore the DEIA Tools for CE Professionals course in ACCME Academy, which offers guidance for addressing diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism (DEIA) in CE programs. The course is free for accredited CE providers with an ACCME Academy user account – click this link and log in to your account.

• Explore more DEI resources on our DEI Resources webpage.

Connect with Us 

ACCME ON THE MOVE

Our team was pleased to host a booth at the 2023 Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions Annual Conference earlier this month! We enjoyed seeing familiar faces in continuing education and sharing ACCME’s available resources to support your work.

Pictured left to right: Ellen Sullivan, MS, MSJ, CAE, Vice President of Communications; Dion Richetti, Vice President of Accreditation and Recognition; Marcie Bonilla, Director, Data Products and Collaboration Programs

Career Opportunities 

The ACCME has one open position: 

• Application Support Analyst – Hybrid: The Application Support Analyst identifies and analyzes user requirements, recommends appropriate applications or modifications, and provides support for all applications and systems identified within the team’s portfolio.