The Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education are designed to ensure that accredited continuing education serves the needs of patients and the public, is based on valid content, and is free from commercial influence.
The Standards were released in December 2020, replacing the Standards for Commercial Support: Standards to Ensure Independence in CME Activities.
Accredited CME providers need to comply with the Standards that are applicable to their organizations by January 1, 2022. Visit our Standards resources page for more information and resources.
A PDF of the Standards is available here.
The Standards have been adopted by the following accrediting bodies representing multiple health professions:
- Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
- American Academy of PAs (AAPA)
- American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
- American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
- Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry’s Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (ARBO/COPE)
- Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™
Terms used for the first time are written in bold italics, followed by the definition for the term.
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Preamble
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Eligibility
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Standard 1: Ensure Content is Valid
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Standard 2: Prevent Commercial Bias and Marketing in Accredited Continuing Education
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Standard 3: Identify, Mitigate, and Disclose Relevant Financial Relationships
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Standard 4: Manage Commercial Support Appropriately
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Standard 5: Manage Ancillary Activities Offered in Conjunction with Accredited Continuing Education