ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
The ACCME's accreditation requirements for US continuing medical education providers: the eight core criteria that tie activities to practice gaps and measured change, the Standards for Integrity and Independence that exclude ineligible companies, require 24-month disclosure, pre-role mitigation and learner disclosure, and control commercial support and marketing separation, and the policies on the accreditation statement, records and joint providership.
ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education is a compliance framework from United States with 5 domains and 26 controls. The largest domains are Standards for Integrity and Independence: eligibility and Standards 1 to 3 – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (7 controls), ACCME policies: governance, program and activity administration, joint providership – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (6 controls), Core Accreditation Criteria: educational planning and evaluation – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (5 controls). Every control below carries what it requires and what an assessor expects to see.
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Framework Domains (5)
ACCME policies: governance, program and activity administration, joint providership – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::P-CONTENT | CME content definition, AMA PRA Category 1 Credit activities comply with all ACCME requirements, and business and management procedures meet obligations |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::P-ENDURING | Enduring materials reviewed at least every three years with release, review and termination dates shown |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::P-HIPAA-GIFT | HIPAA compliance attestation on accreditation submissions, and no gift cards or personal remuneration tied to purchase of or registration for accredited CME |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::P-JOINT | Joint providership: the accredited provider takes responsibility and demonstrates compliance by written documentation; informs learners with the joint statement; probation limits |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::P-RECORDS | Attendance records verifiable for six years and activity files retained for the accreditation term or twelve months, whichever is longer |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::P-STATEMENT | Accreditation statement on all activity materials and brochures, in the prescribed direct or joint providership wording; permitted use of the ACCME marks |
Core Accreditation Criteria: educational planning and evaluation – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-ANALYZE | Analysis of changes in learners achieved by the program's activities (Analyzes Change, formerly Criterion 11) |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-CHANGE | Activities designed to change competence, performance or patient outcomes as described in the mission (Designed to Change, formerly Criterion 3) |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-COMPET | Activities developed in the context of desirable physician attributes (Competencies, formerly Criterion 6) |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-FORMATS | Educational formats appropriate for the setting, objectives and desired results (Appropriate Formats, formerly Criterion 5) |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-NEEDS | Activities built on the educational needs that underlie the professional practice gaps of the provider's own learners (Educational Needs, formerly Criterion 2) |
Core Accreditation Criteria: mission, program analysis and improvement – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-ANALYSIS | Program-based analysis of the degree to which the mission has been met (Program Analysis, formerly Criterion 12) |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-IMPROVE | Identify, plan and implement program improvements needed to meet the mission (Program Improvements, formerly Criterion 13) |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::C-MISSION | CME mission statement with expected results in competence, performance or patient outcomes (Mission, formerly Criterion 1) |
Standards for Integrity and Independence: Standards 4 and 5 – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S4-1 | Standard 4.1: the provider controls receipt and disbursement of commercial support; no direct payment of expenses by ineligible companies; no learner travel, lodging, honoraria or personal expenses |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S4-2-3 | Standards 4.2 and 4.3: written commercial support agreement executed before the education, and an accounting of support received and used available on request |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S4-4 | Standard 4.4: disclose the commercial supporter's name and the nature of any in-kind support to learners before the education, without logos or product messages |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S5-1 | Standard 5.1: marketing or exhibit arrangements must not influence planning, delivery or evaluation, interfere with the education, or be a condition of support |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S5-2-3 | Standards 5.2 and 5.3: learners can distinguish accredited education from marketing and non-accredited education (30-minute separation, no marketing in digital activities or educational materials); ineligible companies may not distribute accredited education |
Standards for Integrity and Independence: eligibility and Standards 1 to 3 – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S-ELIG | Eligibility: ineligible companies cannot be accredited, cannot jointly provide, and their owners and employees are excluded except under Standard 3.2 |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S1 | Standard 1: content is valid, evidence-based, fair and balanced, with new or evolving topics identified and unscientific approaches excluded |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S2 | Standard 2: decisions free of ineligible-company influence, no marketing or sales in education, no sharing of learner data without consent |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S3-1 | Standard 3.1: collect all financial relationships with ineligible companies from everyone in control of content for the prior 24 months, with no minimum threshold |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S3-2 | Standard 3.2: exclude owners and employees of ineligible companies from control of content, subject to three narrow exceptions |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S3-3-4 | Standards 3.3 and 3.4: identify relevant financial relationships and mitigate them before the role begins, documenting the steps |
| accme-accreditation-requirements-and-standards-for-integrity-and-independence-in-accredited-continuing-education::S3-5 | Standard 3.5: disclose relevant relationships and their mitigation to learners before the education, naming companies without logos or product messages, and disclose absence of relationships |
What is ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education and who does it apply to?
ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education is a compliance framework from United States with 5 domains and 26 controls. The ACCME's accreditation requirements for US continuing medical education providers: the eight core criteria that tie activities to practice gaps and measured change, the Standards for Integrity and Independence that exclude ineligible companies, require 24-month disclosure, pre-role mitigation and learner disclosure, and control commercial support and marketing separation, and the policies on the accreditation statement, records and joint providership. It is used by organisations to establish and maintain compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.
What does ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education actually require?
ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education has 26 controls organised across 5 domains. The largest domains are Standards for Integrity and Independence: eligibility and Standards 1 to 3 – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (7 controls), ACCME policies: governance, program and activity administration, joint providership – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (6 controls), Core Accreditation Criteria: educational planning and evaluation – ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (5 controls). Each control defines specific requirements that organisations must implement to achieve compliance.
If I already comply with another framework, how much of ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education do I already cover?
ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education does not currently have cross-framework mappings in our system. Check back as we continuously expand our mapping database.
How do I implement ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education?
Start your ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education compliance journey by running a self-assessment on our platform to identify your current compliance posture. Our AI advisory can answer specific questions about ACCME Accreditation Requirements and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education requirements, and cross-framework mapping helps you leverage existing controls from other frameworks you may already comply with. Create a free account to access all 26 controls and track your progress.
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