News

JOINT STATEMENT ON IMPROVING HEALTH THROUGH DEI
ACCME, along with nine other healthcare and medical associations from across the country, made a statement this week in support of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies in healthcare to improve patient care and our nation's health. Read the full statement.

REGISTER FOR LEARN TO THRIVE 2024 BY APRIL 24

It’s not too late to join us in Chicago for Learn to Thrive 2024! We’re excited to welcome our dynamic community of continuing education (CE) professionals on May 14-16, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago Hotel! At Learn to Thrive, ACCME's annual meeting, you'll join stakeholders from across the healthcare education continuum to learn from the rich diversity of educational and collaborative approaches that improve healthcare each day. We constructed three days of education and networking with your professional development needs in mind - including new opportunities to discover actionable strategies to help clinicians deliver quality patient care. Reserve your spot by April 24!

Explore Music for Health on Day 3 of Learn to Thrive

To close out Learn to Thrive 2024, the final keynote will explore the role of music in health. Join speaker Joy Allen, PhD, MT-BC as she highlights the connection between neuroscience, music, health, education, and well-being. Explore how your organization can utilize collaborative approaches to elevate the impact of your educational program and leave inspired to harness the power of music to amplify personal and collective well-being.

Experience Chicago!
Whether you want to shop on the famed Magnificent Mile, take the scenic route on a Chicago River boat tour, or explore one of our many museums and attractions, there is no shortage of things to do during your time in Chicago. Don’t miss your chance to learn and grow in this one-of-a-kind city!

Check out the Hotel & Chicago Info page for more Chicago recommendations.

LA COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH WINS FREE REGISTRATION TO LEARN TO THRIVE 2024
We are pleased to announce the winner of free registration for the Learn to Thrive 2024 meeting: the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH)! Sarah Guerry, MD, Chief of Medical Communication and Education, will attend the conference in Chicago this May.

The drawing was open to select organizations who participated in individual training sessions to report learner credit data. Accredited by the California Medical Association (CMA), the LACDPH participated in an introductory training led by ACCME in October followed by small group training led by the CMA.

The LACDPH successfully reported credits for two activities within two months of the initial training session, and plan to continue to report learner credits.

“Our physicians have been asking us to provide transcripts of their CME credits for several years,” said Ali Stirland, MBChB, MSc, Director, Medical Affairs Program, LACDPH. “They are thrilled that we can offer this new service.”

Physicians can access a transcript of credits reported on their behalf by creating a personal account in CME Passport.

The training helped the LACDPH team overcome common challenges in batch uploading, such as improperly formatted cells and the accidental omission of leading zeros on state license numbers.

“When we could not resolve the errors ourselves, I reached out to ACCME and they got back to me right away,” said Lori McCarty, the department’s former Health Educator. “It’s really important to have support, and we do from ACCME and the CMA team.”

Congratulations to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and many thanks to the team at California Medical Association.

For assistance with learner credit reporting, contact ACCME at info@accme.org, or attend one of our biweekly virtual PARS trainings to discuss common PARS questions and tasks. Check out upcoming session dates and register on ACCME’s Events page!

Reminders for Accredited Providers

COMPLETE YOUR ANNUAL REPORTING IN PARS BY MONDAY, APRIL 1
All accredited providers are required to log in to the Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) and complete their annual reporting requirements by this Monday, April 1 at 11:59pm CT. 

To complete your annual reporting requirements, you must:

• Accept the terms of the ACCME annual agreement, located on the dashboard in PARS under Provider Agreement(s).
• Enter all activities that started in 2023, and close all of them that also ended in 2023.
• If you provide enduring material activities, update the total cumulative learner counts as of December 31, 2023. Enduring materials should remain open until the end date, which may be up to three years from the start date.
• Complete and submit your Program Summary, located on the dashboard in PARS. 
  • Review and update your contact information. You can do this by clicking Back to Accreditation Management in the top right section of the PARS dashboard.

Please note: Providers accredited by a state medical society may be required to complete their annual reporting requirements earlier and should check with their Recognized Accreditor for more information. 

Explore our Annual Reporting in PARS page for more information about annual reporting and links to educational resources.

Virtual Annual Reporting Office Hours
ACCME offered two virtual office hour sessions to help providers complete their annual reporting requirements. Although the office hour sessions have ended, the annual reporting office hours slides are available on our website.

APPLY FOR THE ABMS VISITING SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is now accepting applications for the 2024–2025 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 11:59 pm CT on June 17, 2024. Interested candidates can learn more about the application process and attend a free, hour-long informational webinar on April 23 at 5:00pm CT.

Education & Resources

REGISTER FOR SACME'S PRiME MEETING
Join the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME) for their PRiME (Promoting Research in Medical Education) meeting in Toronto from June 18-24! This event provides strategies for participants to enhance their research, evaluation, and scholarly capabilities, while also gaining insights on integrating the latest research and scholarship into their continuing professional development (CPD)/CME practices. To secure early bird pricing, register by tomorrow, March 29.

Designed for both experienced and novice individuals looking to advance their research, evaluation, and scholarly skills, attendees will learn how to incorporate the latest research and scholarship into their CPD/CME practice.

SAVE THE DATE: ATTEND CMEPALOOZA ON APRIL 24
CMEpalooza, a free virtual conference for CME/CE professionals, is back on Wednesday, April 24 at 9 am ET. With topics ranging from the value of AI integration in medical education to strategies to amplify learning, the CMEpalooza Spring agenda was designed to be interesting, informative, and entertaining. You can also explore past sessions in the CMEpalooza Archive.