The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) discussed a number of important topics in this month’s newsletter, including 2010 Annual Report Data and a Summary of the Board of Directors Meeting in July.
ACCME Defers Decision on Commercial Support Disclosure Policy, Publishes Call for Comment Responses
During the July 2011 meeting, the ACCME Board of Directors reviewed the responses to the call for comment about a proposed change in policy regarding the acknowledgement of commercial support. The Board decided that it would defer action to implement the proposed policy, and will study the issue further, deliberate about the issues and views raised by respondents, and engage in discussions with the CME community.
The call for comment responses have been posted here. You can also access the responses from our homepage, www.accme.org, by clicking on ACCME Calls for Comment. The ACCME issued the call for comment in accordance with its Rule-Making Policy.
The proposed policy states that providers can communicate the names of commercial supporters in text format only, and cannot include corporate logos or any mention or description of other units within the commercial interest corporate structure. Currently, ACCME policy does not prohibit providers from using corporate logos in their communications regarding commercial support.
ACCME Holds 2011 Town Halls for Nationally Accredited Providers
The ACCME launched its third annual series of town hall meetings for different types of accredited organizations. The first was held July 11 for nonprofit physician membership organizations. A second town hall was held August 8 for hospitals, health systems, and insurance/managed-care company providers.
Three more town halls are scheduled: August 12 for government and military providers; October 4 for medical school providers, and October 17 for publishing and education company providers.
The purpose of the town halls is to facilitate open discussion between ACCME staff and participants about issues and questions related to specific provider groups. The meetings are free of charge and we have sent invitations to all providers who are eligible to attend. If you have any questions, please contact Katie Swimm, Coordinator, Education and Outreach, at kswimm@accme.org.
ACCME Presents at Cleveland Clinic, New York Medical College, and Pfizer
Murray Kopelow, MD, ACCME Chief Executive, was a guest speaker at the Cleveland Clinic Education Institute Grand Rounds on June 21. He described the role of accredited CME as a strategic asset to national health care quality improvement initiatives, reviewed the literature demonstrating continuing education’s effectiveness in improving professional practice, and encouraged participants to “tell the story” about how CME is aligned to the current and future needs of medicine.
Dr. Kopelow and Kate Regnier, MA, MBA, ACCME Deputy Chief Executive and COO, spoke at the New York Medical College meeting on June 23. Participants included CME staff from 17 medical schools. Dr. Kopelow and Ms. Regnier reviewed data about accreditation decision-making under the 2006 Accreditation Criteria. They discussed the complexities involved in changing physician behavior and how accredited CME can support physicians’ continuing professional development. Looking toward the future, they said that to further facilitate health care improvements, physicians need a workplace environment that rewards practice-based learning and change.
Dr. Kopelow gave a grand rounds presentation at Pfizer on June 22 entitled “Restoring Public Trust‑Transparency, the Pharmaceutical Industry, and the Health Care Environment: Two Perspectives.” He discussed the potential for commercial interests to create bias in CME through implicit or explicit control of content and how the ACCME’s Standards for Commercial Support safeguard the independence of accredited CME. Dr. Kopelow was joined by Trish Groves, MD, Deputy Editor, British Medical Journal, and Editor in Chief, BMJ Open.
ACCME Participates in AOA House of Delegates Meeting
Murray Kopelow, MD, ACCME Chief Executive, participated in the 91st Annual Business Meeting of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Board of Trustees and House of Delegates held July 15 in Chicago. Last year, the ACCME accepted an invitation from the AOA to join its House of Delegates. This participation expands the already strong collaborative relationship between the ACCME and the AOA.
For more information about the ACCME’s engagement with other accreditors and continuing health care education stakeholders, see the chapter “Governance, Leadership, and Collaboration,” in ACCME’s new publication The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education at Work: Accreditation, Recognition, Education, Operations, and Governance.
For Your Reference
Colorado Medicine is running a series of articles highlighting Colorado physicians who are leading health care improvement efforts through their involvement in CME. The first article, in the January/February 2011 issue, page 43, features an interview with David Price, MD, a member of the ACCME Board of Directors.
The second article, in the May/June 2011 issue, page 49, features an interview with David Herr, MD. The articles are written by JoAnne Wojak, Director, CME, Colorado Medical Society (CMS). CMS is an ACCME Recognized Accreditor.
ACCME Releases July Board Of Directors Meeting Executive Summary
The ACCME Board of Directors meeting was held on July 21– 22, 2011, at its Chicago offices. Highlights from the executive summary of the meeting included the following:
- The ACCME ratified 55 accreditation and reaccreditation decisions, including 14 providers (25%) that received Accreditation with Commendation. The ACCME has now completed accreditation reviews for 513 accredited providers using the 2006 Accreditation Criteria. Click here for a list of accredited providers, which will be updated in September 2011 to reflect the July 2011 accreditation decisions.
- The Board reviewed progress report decisions as part of its ongoing commitment to monitor and analyze compliance trends and the effectiveness of progress reports as an improvement tool. From November 2008 to March 2011, the ACCME reviewed 361 progress reports using the 2006 Accreditation Criteria. Three hundred and five were 1st progress reports and 237 of those were accepted (78%).
- The ACCME ratified decisions for three providers receiving joint accreditation through the process Joint Accreditation for the Provider of Continuing Education for the Health Care Team. The decisions have also been ratified by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The joint accreditation process was launched in March 2009 by the ACCME, the ACPE, and the ANCC. In July 2010, the Board ratified accreditation decisions for the first two providers to achieve accreditation under this process.