The Alliance For Continuing Medical Education (Alliance) last week unveiled the National Faculty Education Initiative, a sponsored program of the Alliance and the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME), in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). The goal of the Initiative is to help medical education faculty understand the differences between certified CME activities and commercial marketing/promotional programs, and thus comply with the most up-to-date federal regulations, as well as accepted accreditation codes and professional standards.
“Medical education faculty are seen as experts in their field and, as such, play a significant role in offering certified CME learning programs for physicians and their healthcare teams,” said Dr. David Davis, MD, Association of American Medical Colleges. “This newly created program will help lead to improved patient health outcomes, while simultaneously mitigating potential liability risk to medical education faculty, their institutions, and the accredited organizations responsible for CME activities.”
The Initiative consists of two components: an online educational activity and a verification database. The online educational activity utilizes a case-based content delivery style to quickly and efficiently educate medical education faculty about federal regulations, accreditation and professional standards, and their roles and responsibilities when presenting in either venue.
Medical educators who complete the online training program have their names added to the verification database, reaffirming their commitment to teaching excellence and providing quality learning experiences that are in compliance with appropriate regulations, guidelines, and professional standards.
"The National Faculty Education Initiative addresses the pressing need to make sure that faculty conflicts of interest are resolved when teaching in or authoring certified CME activities," said Sue Ann Capizzi, president of the Alliance. "This program will train faculty to differentiate between requirements for certified CME activities and those for industry-sponsored promotional activities, the most notable being that certified CME must be current, evidence-based and presented in an objective, balanced manner."
The online educational activity is available to physician, nursing and pharmacy faculty, and can be found at www.acme-assn.org. The verification database is designed for CME providers and commercial interests providing promotional activities, so that they may verify that faculty educators they plan to invite are knowledgeable of the multiple sets of rules that govern speaker accountability when presenting in each environment. The database may be accessed for free through the end of 2008.
“Professional relationships between physicians and industry have existed for decades, but with the impact of these relationships under scrutiny like never before, it is imperative that we both stress and make every attempt to guarantee the separation of certified CME and promotional activities,” said Melinda Steele, president of the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education. “The National Faculty Education Initiative represents the type of voluntary self-regulation and training that will encourage support among federal officials and other regulatory bodies, as well as the general public.”
Paul D. Weber, executive director of the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education, added, “This is the largest and most comprehensive effort of its kind, and we look forward to working with the CME community and providers to ensure its success.”
CME professionals, advocates for CME and the profession, and strives to improve health care outcomes. Officially launched in March 1975 to represent every sector of the CME community, the Alliance is the recognized leader and go-to resource regarding issues within the professional CME community.
This action shows leadership from the Alliance for CME in clarifying the difference between promotional education and certified CME activities.
I tried out the database and it was quite easy to use. Our accrediting organization, the Potomac Center for Medical Education, is requiring all our faculty to take the course and add their names to the database. We encourage all other CME providers to take a similar course of action. An educated faculty is very beneficial in helping to ensure fair balance in our programs.
Links to important documents:
National Faculty Education Initiative Background Website