New COVID-19 Resources; Register for the ACCME 2020 Online Meeting; Now Available: Executive Summary and Comments on Proposed Standards; Commendation Criteria Transition Report

April 30, 2020

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News

COVID-19 RESOURCES: NEW FAQ; CLINICIAN RESOURCES SEARCHABLE DATABASE; ABIM SUSPENDS PEER REVIEW REQUIREMENTS

We’re continuing to update our resources to help accredited continuing education providers and clinicians respond to COVID-19.

New COVID-19 FAQ: We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions related to changing the format of activity planning and reporting in response to the COVID pandemic.

ABIM Suspends Peer Review Requirement for Activities Related to COVID-19: The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has temporarily suspended its peer review requirement through 12/31/2020 only for accredited CME activities related to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Clinician Resources: We’ve updated our webpage to include a searchable database of accredited CE activities and resources that can help the clinician community respond to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

COVID-19 Activity Planning Form webpage: Our planning form to help accredited CE providers expedite the planning and delivery of activities related to COVID-19 is now available on a webpage, in addition to Word and PDF versions.

NOW AVAILABLE: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND COMMENTS ON PROPOSED ACCME STANDARDS FOR INTEGRITY AND INDEPENDENCE OF ACCREDITED CONTINUING EDUCATION

We’ve published an executive summary and the responses to the call for comment on the proposed, revised ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. There were 344 respondents to the online survey; in addition, we received responses via letters and emails. We appreciate the feedback!

Executive summary (PDF): Includes a brief overview of the responses, tables and figures illustrating respondent demographics, and figures illustrating the responses to yes/no questions about each standard.

Call for Comment Survey Responses: Includes the comments submitted through the online survey, as well as letters from organizations that represent other accreditation systems or large groups of accredited providers.

Purpose

Our goal is to streamline, clarify, and modernize the Standards, and to ensure their continued relevance and effectiveness in the changing healthcare environment. The initiative supports the ACCME’s strategic goal to assure the quality of accreditation.

Next Steps: Opportunity for Alignment

The ACCME Board of Directors reviewed the responses at its March 2020 meeting, reaffirmed its agreement with the principles described in the Standards, and came to consensus about modifications to make in response to the community’s comments.

The ACCME is working to create harmonization of the disclosure expectations with other stakeholders in the regulatory community. Respondents to our call for comment encouraged us to pursue this alignment as it would greatly simplify the disclosure process for continuing education providers, faculty members, researchers, and authors. Toward that end, the Board decided to delay adoption and implementation of the revised Standards while the discussions about alignment are taking place. We expect those discussions to conclude in the fall, facilitating release of a final version of the Standards before the end of the year.

Transition Plan

After the Board adopts the revised Standards, the ACCME will release a transition plan for the accredited continuing education community. This plan will include:

Transition phase to give accreditors, accredited educational providers, faculty, volunteers, and other stakeholders time to prepare to meet the expectations of the revised Standards.
Education and resources to support the continuing education community’s successful adoption of the revised Standards.

Current Standards Remain in Place

The current Standards for Commercial Support remain in place and accredited continuing education providers should continue to comply with them, in addition to complying with other accreditation requirements.

If you have questions, please contact us at info@accme.org.

NEW: TRANSITION REPORT FOR MENU OF CRITERIA FOR ACCREDITATION WITH COMMENDATION

We are pleased to announce that the transition phase for the Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation has concluded. To support the CME community’s continued implementation of the menu, we’ve published a report on the transition phase, including:

Data on the numbers of accredited providers that have applied for and achieved commendation
Lessons learned and common reasons for noncompliance
Minor modifications to simplify and clarify the standards and critical elements of a few criteria. Please note that none of the criteria have been changed.

Download the report.

We appreciate the contributions of the continuing medical education (CME) community to developing and implementing the Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation, and we congratulate all the CME providers that have applied and plan to apply for commendation. The leadership, staff, and volunteers of the ACCME and Recognized Accreditors are working hard to support the continued, successful adoption of the criteria and the evolution of educational strategies to reflect best practices.

Please visit our commendation resources webpage for more information. If you have questions, we are happy to help. Please contact us at info@accme.org.

Upcoming Educational Opportunities

ACCME 2020 ONLINE MEETING: REGISTRATION OPEN

We are pleased to announce registration for the ACCME 2020 Online Meeting is now open! The two-day virtual event will take place May 7-8. We invite all accredited continuing education providers—staff and volunteers—and educational stakeholders to participate. To register, visit www.accmemeeting.org. Tag us in your social posts about our virtual event using these templates to share your goals for the meeting with us:

Excited to attend the [Name of Session] at the #ACCME2020Online Meeting!

Looking forward to learning about [Topics] during the #ACCME2020Online Meeting!

Reminders for Accredited Providers

DEADLINE TODAY TO COMPLETE PARS REPORTING

As announced previously, we extended the deadline for submission of 2019 activity and overall program data to April 30, 2020 to support you during the COVID-19 pandemic. We encourage you to complete your reporting as soon as possible. Thanks to those of you who have already completed your year-end reporting.

We have also received a number of questions related to activity reporting, as you change live activities to other formats. We’ve posted new PARS FAQ to answer your questions. If you have additional questions on year-end reporting, please contact us at annualreports@accme.org.

CME for MOC Updates

NEW WEBINAR: USING PARS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

Join us for a new webinar, CME for MOC: Using PARS to Your Advantage, on May 26 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm Central. ACCME staff and participants will explore how PARS is integrated with the CME for MOC collaboration—including the registration of activities and reporting of learners—as well as strategies to streamline those processes. Register here.

Collaboration and Engagement

NAM SUPPORTS CLINICIAN WELL-BEING DURING THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

We care about those taking care of us on the frontlines of COVID-19. Check out these resources and strategies compiled by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to support the health and well-being of our clinicians during this challenging time. #ClinicianWellBeing

COALITION FOR PHYSICIAN ACCOUNTABILITY RELEASES STATEMENT TO SAFEGUARD THE PUBLIC AND HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE

The member organizations of the Coalition for Physician Accountability, including the ACCME, have released a statement in support of strengthening efforts to safeguard the public and to protect our nation’s healthcare workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Download the statement.

Connect with Us

COFFEE WITH GRAHAM: SOCIAL MEDIA IN HEALTHCARE

Now streaming on all podcast apps!

Pre-recorded on January 30. In episode 6, Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME, explains how social media is used in healthcare to build relationships, keep communities informed, and enhance learning activities. Listen to full episodes at, www.accme.org/coffee-with-graham.

Career Opportunities

COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST

The Communications Specialist supports the implementation of communication strategies designed to promote the value of accredited continuing education for health professionals and to build engagement with the accredited continuing education community, clinicians, healthcare leaders, and other stakeholders. The Specialist is responsible for managing, monitoring, and improving the ACCME’s communications via multiple channels including social media, website, newsletters, articles, and reports. Key responsibilities include writing, editing, preparing graphics, sending email blasts, and identifying strategies to achieve communications goals.

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