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Five New Features to Look Forward to in New PARS; Updated Glossary and Other Standards Resources; Join Our Team

Volume

12

Number

18

News

FIVE NEW FEATURES TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN NEW PARS 

Our team has been working hard on the new Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) and the enhanced version of CME Finder, scheduled for launch later this summer. With the new PARS, you'll be able to:  

  • View a dashboard about your program. 
  • Tag activities by commendation criterion. 
  • Enter learner data for all activities. 
  • Pre-validate learner-identification data. 
  • Display any activities in CME Finder. 

Be sure to watch your inbox for updates and visit our new PARS webpage for more information.

Education and Resources 

STANDARDS RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR TRANSITION 

We're pleased to hear from many of you about your progress in implementing the new Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Accredited CME providers are expected to comply with the Standards that are applicable to their organizations by January 1, 2022. We want to do everything we can to help your transition—and we encourage you to explore our resources:   

We appreciate the request by some medical specialty societies to delay the implementation of the new Standards. The ACCME’s Board of Directors reviewed and discussed these concerns at its July 2021 Board meeting and decided not to delay implementation beyond the one-year transition. As described in our FAQ, we understand that planning for some larger, more complex activities will pre-date the opportunity to implement changes, and for those activities (planned in 2021 but not implemented until 2022), we would not expect to see compliance with the new requirements. As with any transition in our rules, we are committed to ensuring that all determinations of compliance are fair, consistent, and reasonable. Read more here.

For more resources and information, visit our Standards webpage.   

Workshop participants by organization type

THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE ACCME 2021 ACCREDITATION WORKSHOP: VIRTUAL EDITION 

Earlier this month, 300 CE professionals from nearly 200 organizations, 41 states/territories, and eight countries convened at the ACCME 2021 Accreditation Workshop: Virtual Edition to support our shared mission to improve patient care through accredited CE. Throughout the two-day virtual meeting, participants:  

  • Explored how to apply the ACCME requirements in practice and shared strategies for enhancing their CE programs. 
  • Engaged in Special Topic Sessions that addressed how to transition to the new Standards for Integrity and Independence, explored new PARS, discussed Joint Accreditation, and more.
  • Joined ACCME staff and specialty board representatives in the Collaborations Corner that discussed how to leverage CME for MOC/Continuing Certification, MIPS, and FDA REMS to engage clinicians in continuing education.

Thank you to our participants and faculty who contributed to this virtual learning experience—we look forward to sustaining these connections and improving our community of practice together.

Feedback from Workshop Participants: 

  • “Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication. I have learned that you are all very willing to help and are not as scary as I had thought.” 
  • “I have some new strategies for evaluations that I am going to try to implement.” 
  • “I feel that I’ve been working in a complete vacuum since taking on this role and participating in the two-day workshop was like flipping a switch for me.”

Collaboration & Engagement 

DR. GRAHAM MCMAHON TO PRESENT AT THE MAACME ANNUAL CONFERENCE  

The Mid-Atlantic Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (MAACME) will be hosting its annual meeting in a virtual format on September 23, 2021. The conference will feature ACCME President and CEO, Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, who will kick off the conference by discussing the new Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Registration and event details are available here.  

REGISTER FOR THE AMERICAN BOARD OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES CONFERENCE 2021

Registration is now open for the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Conference 2021 scheduled for September 28—September 29, 2021. Hosted in a virtual format, the Conference will focus on physician assessment, quality improvement, professionalism, and professional development. Registration and additional information about the event is available here.

ACCME TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY AUTHORITIES CONFERENCE 

The ACCME is pleased to participate in the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities Conference 2021 on October 12—14, 2021. The virtual conference will convene the world’s medical regulatory authorities to focus on the regulator’s role in supporting a healthcare workforce under pressure. Staff from ACCME and Joint Accreditation will present five abstracts addressing a variety of topics including the future of interprofessional collaboration; fostering physician engagement in CME; advancing international standards for continuing professional development for clinicians and teams; ACCME’s experience with the COVID-19 pandemic; data from the 2020 ACCME data report.

Career Opportunities Join our team

The ACCME has three position openings. Interested candidates should send their cover letter and resume to 230resumes@mysynergy.com.   

  • PROGRAM SUPPORT SPECIALIST: We are seeking a Program Support Specialist to support accredited providers, collaboration partners, staff, and volunteers in their use and understanding of the ACCME's Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).  
  • COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: Our team is looking for a Communications Coordinator to support and improve the ACCME’s communications via multiple channels including websites, social media, podcasts, e-newsletters, articles, and reports.
  • ACCREDITATION SPECIALIST I: We have an opening for an Accreditation Specialist I to coordinate and support systems of Accreditation and Recognition services.

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