The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) recently released its Newsletter, which contained a number of important announcements and updates for CME providers and stakeholders. Below is a short summary.
How CME Can Address Public Health Initiatives
The ACCME has produced a new video interview series with CME and health care leaders about how CME can address public health initiatives. These resources are part of the ACCME’s ongoing efforts to support the role of accredited CME as a strategic partner in public health and safety initiatives.
In a three-part video interview, How CME Can Address the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic, David K. Mineta, Deputy Director of Demand Reduction, Office of National Drug Control Policy, provides a brief overview of the prescription drug abuse problem; discusses screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) as a topic for physician education; and describes specific approaches that accredited CME providers can incorporate in their activities to support proper prescribing and effective referral to treatment.
- How CME Can Address the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic: Part 1—Framing the Problem
- How CME Can Address the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic: Part 2—Addressing Physician Practice
- How CME Can Address the Prescription Drug Abuse Epidemic: Part 3—Addressing Barriers
In another three-part video interview, CME to Address Public Health Needs, Sharyn Lee, RN, MS, CCMEP, Director of Strategic Affairs, PRIME Education Inc., discusses how to work collaboratively with the US government and military to address health care improvement, and describes the development of an accredited CME initiative funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to translate clinical research findings into education that improves practice and the delivery of effective health care.
- CME to Address Public Health Needs: Part 1—Doing Well By Doing Good
- CME to Address Public Health Needs: Part 2—What Does It Take to Partner with the Government?
- CME to Address Public Health Needs: Part 3—Case Study on AHRQ’s Effective Healthcare Program
In a video interview, Jennifer D’Alessandro, Associate Director for Clinical Education, and former Program Manager, National Committee for Quality Assurance, discusses how practice-based measures can support performance improvement for physicians and health care teams.
Education and Outreach
The ACCME’s 2013 CME as a Bridge to Quality™ Accreditation Workshops are scheduled for April 24-26 and July 31-August 2 in Chicago. More workshop information is available here. Registration for the April 2013 workshop will open in November.
Registration is open for the ACCME State/Territory Medical Society Conference: A Conference of Leaders, scheduled for December 12-13, 2012, at the Intercontinental Chicago. Designed for Recognized Accreditors (state/territory medical societies recognized by the ACCME as accreditors of local CME providers) and accreditation volunteers, this conference offers the opportunity for participants and the ACCME staff to engage in strategic discussions about the future of the CME accreditation system.
The theme for this year’s conference is “Accredited CME as an Educational Home: Meeting Expectations and Identifying Opportunities.”
The conference will address strategic opportunities for CME accreditors to reposition their CME enterprise as an “educational home” that provides the resources to support the continuing professional development of their physicians—in alignment with the expectations of physician licensure, certification, and health care reform. T he conference will also provide hands-on training to support state medical society CME accreditation, interpretation, and decision-making under the ACCME Markers of Equivalency and Accreditation Criteria. Register for the conference by November 26, 2012. For more information and to register, click here.
Additional ACCME Q&A about ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS
The ACCME has published additional Ask ACCME Q&A about the US Food and Drug Administration’s Extended-Release and Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy:
- Does the ACCME information about the ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS apply to all REMS?
- Is it acceptable to include content developed by a commercial interest for an activity that supports the ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS?
- Is it acceptable for an accredited provider to include product-specific content in an activity based on the FDA ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS blueprint?
A complete list of the Ask ACCME Q&A about the ER/LA Opioid Analgesic REMS is available here. For more information and links to resources, see “FDA Releases REMS for Extended-Release/Long-Acting Opioids.”
ACCME Participates in National Magnet Conference, Tri-Regulator Symposium
The ACCME participated in the following events in October, as part of its ongoing collaboration with other regulatory bodies in the health care field.
- Murray Kopelow, MD, ACCME President and Chief Executive, gave a presentation, “Interprofessional Competencies: Promoting Team-based Education in the Practice Setting,” at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) National Magnet Conference® held in Los Angeles.
- Dr. Kopelow participated in the first Tri-Regulator Symposium, hosted by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Held in Washington DC, the symposium included sessions focusing on combating opioid prescription abuse; supporting state-based regulation of health care personnel; US health care workforce needs; and competency assessment for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.
ACCME Presents at National Association Medical Staff Services Annual Conference
Steve Singer, PhD, ACCME Director, Education and Outreach, gave a presentation at the National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) 36th Annual Conference & Exhibition, held in September in San Francisco. During his talk, “Engaging Physicians in Quality: CME as a Strategic Asset for Medical Staff, the C-Suite, and Your Institution,” Dr. Singer explained the opportunities for accredited CME to serve as a change agent, supporting quality improvement and patient safety initiatives. He encouraged participants to take a creative approach to CME, to demonstrate responsive leadership, and to find ways to support the goals of stakeholders in their institutions, systems of care, communities, government, and the public. He also wrote a conference article,
“Education Works!” , which offers nine ways for hospitals to use CME as a dynamic, effective tool for change and improvement.
White House Convenes Discussion Entitled “Educating and Training Clinicians for a Transformed Delivery System”
The ACCME was honored to be invited to participate in a discussion bringing together senior officials from the White House and the US Department of Health and Human Services and leaders in health care education and training. The discussion focused on how the health professions and government can support each other in preparing and training the health care workforce to meet the challenges of a transformed health care delivery system. Murray Kopelow, MD, ACCME President and CEO, attended the event, which was convened on October 18 by the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services.
ACCME Participates in International CME Events
Dr. Kopelow also participated in two international events recently as part of its ongoing efforts to support collaboration in the global CME community. He participated in a meeting of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS)–European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME) Task Force held in July in London. At the meeting, the UEMS–EACCME® Task Force reviewed criteria for accrediting live educational events throughout Europe. Dr. Kopelow also gave a presentation at the Cologne Consensus Conference: Information Transfer in Medicine — Legal Issues in CME/CPD Accreditation, held in Cologne by the European Cardiology Section Foundation (ECSF). e discussed the opportunities, benefits, and challenges of creating an accreditation system for providers as compared to implementing a system of activity-level accreditation.