Our accreditation rules ensure that accredited CME is designed to be relevant, practice-based, effective, based on valid content, and independent of commercial influence. Our rules reflect the values of our educator community, build on adult education research, and respond to the evolving healthcare environment.
With this framework, we empower CME providers to deliver high-quality education that drives improvements in practice and helps clinicians and teams to optimize the care, health, and wellness of patients.
Download the Accreditation Requirements: For your convenience, we have created a compilation of the accreditation requirements in one document, available here. This PDF includes the ACCME Accreditation Criteria, the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education and the ACCME Policies. A PDF of only the Standards for Integrity and Independence is available here.
There are three parts to our accreditation rules:
The Accreditation Criteria offer a framework for planning, implementing, and evaluating CME activities that are designed to result in improvements in clinicians’ abilities, performance in practice, or patient outcomes. Accredited CME providers need to comply with the Core Accreditation Criteria.
Accredited CME providers have the option to aim to achieve Accreditation with Commendation. Our Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation, recognizes the achievements of CME providers that advance interprofessional collaborative practice, address public health priorities, create behavioral change, show leadership, leverage educational technology, and demonstrate the impact of education on healthcare professionals and patients.
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; presents learners with only accurate, balanced, scientifically justified recommendations; assures learners they can trust accredited continuing education to help them deliver, safe, effective, cost-effective, and compassionate care that is based on best practice and evidence; and creates a clear, unbridgeable separation between accredited continuing education and marketing and sales.
Accredited CME providers need to comply with the Standards that are applicable to their organizations.
The Standards have been adopted by accrediting bodies representing multiple health professions and the principles are incorporated into international guidelines for continuing professional development for health professionals.
Our policies supplement the Accreditation Criteria.
Accredited CME providers need to adhere to the policies that are relevant to their organizations, as well as complying with the Accreditation Criteria and the Standards for Independence and Integrity.