News

REGISTER FOR THE ACCME 2022 MEETING: LEARN TO THRIVE  

Registration is now open for the ACCME 2022 Meeting: Learn to Thrive! We’re excited to welcome you back to Chicago on April 26-28, 2022, to celebrate our exceptional community of educational leaders. The meeting will be in a hybrid format, offering opportunities for both in-person and virtual participation. Learn more about this year’s theme, opportunities for engagement, and registration details at www.accmemeeting.org.

NOW AVAILABLE: 2020-2021 ACCME HIGHLIGHTS REPORT 

We are pleased to release the ACCME’s 2020-2021 Highlights Report, Learning to Thrive Together, which outlines the key initiatives we’ve taken to respond to the CME community’s recommendations, fulfill our strategic goals, and support our shared mission to improve care for patients and communities. Explore the report and read about our key takeaways here.

ELECTION OF 2022 OFFICERS

We are delighted to announce the election of the 2022 officers to our Board of Directors: Marilane Bond, EdD, Med, MBA, was elected Chair; Steve Craig, MD, was elected Vice Chair; and Thomas M. McLoughlin, Jr., MD, was elected Treasurer of the ACCME at a meeting of its Board of Directors. Read more here.  

We’d also like to extend a warm welcome to the new members of the ACCME Board of Directors:

• Annette Donawa, PhD, MSEd
• Marci Fjelstad, MPH, MBA
• Lee Fleisher, MD
• Eric Friedberg, MD
• Shannon Kilgore, MD
• Jon Thomas, MD, MBA
• Jacqueline Watson, DO, MBA

THANK YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS

The ACCME is only successful in its mission because of its dedicated volunteers. We sincerely thank all the volunteers for their commitment to sustaining a high-quality, self-regulated CME system that advances clinician performance and patient care. Each year, we have the privilege of honoring ACCME volunteers and paying special tribute to those who have demonstrated exemplary and long-term service to the ACCME. Read more here. 

Education and Resources 

EXPLORE THE NEW, IMPROVED PARS

The new, improved  Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) launched last month. Thank you to the 1,410 providers who have logged in. If you haven’t done so already, we encourage you to log in and explore the new features. To help you get the most out of the new PARS, we've produced how-to videos and we're hosting a series of live webinars to answer your questions.

Getting Started 

• Watch this brief video for a tour.  
• Log in to PARS as you usually do, with the same credentials, and click on PARS to see the new interface and features. 
• Your data has been migrated into the new PARS—you do not need to re-enter any data. While there were some initial issues with data transfer, these issues have been resolved or will be resolved shortly. Learn more about how we migrated the data.

Getting Help

We appreciate the inquiries we’ve received and we are resolving issues that you’ve identified as quickly as we can. If you are experiencing the following issues, you do not need to contact us, unless your issue is urgent and needs immediate attention. We ask for your patience while we resolve these: 

• Learner rejections due to learner matching errors
• Delays in the receipt of Maintenance of Certification reporting confirmations 
• JA-PARS activities with Universal Activity Numbers (UANs) that are out of sync with CPE Monitor 

If you notice any issues with your data that are not described above or have any other questions or concerns, please reach out to us at info@accme.org.

Resources

• We've created a PARS channel on Vimeo. Stay tuned—we'll add more videos in the coming weeks. 
• We're hosting a series of live, weekly, topic-focused webinars to answer your questions. Learn more and register here.
• For more information and resources, including instructions for year-end reporting, visit our New PARS webpage.

Check Out the New CME Passport 

The new CME Passport, formerly CME Finder, displays any activities that providers choose to include, with expanded search functions. Physicians can create a personalized account to track and manage their CME. Learn more here.

SAVE THE DATE: SACME 2022 ANNUAL MEETING

The Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME) will be hosting its 2022 Annual Meeting on February 21-23, 2022, in a live virtual format. Learn more about the theme of the meeting and specific sessions here.

ACCME Academy Spotlight 

Elevate your learning experience and explore these courses in ACCME Academy:

• Building Learning through Curriculum Design: This course shares strategies for curriculum design to help deliver effective education that will engage your learners as partners in solving complex healthcare challenges.
• Connecting Health Equity and Continuing Education: Building on conversations with ACCME President and CEO, Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, and healthcare leaders at the American Medical Association and Rush University Medical Center, this course aims to provide resources and guidance for building and supporting health equity initiatives at your organization.
• Engaging Learners by Evolving Teaching: This course explores ways to facilitate effective learning experiences, including ideas on how to evolve teaching from knowledge transfer to sparking investment with active learning experiences.

Reminders for Accredited Providers 

ANNUAL ACCREDITATION FEES 2022-2023

Thank you to those of you who have already submitted payment for your 2022 annual accreditation fees. As a reminder, in early November, we sent invoices to ACCME-accredited providers as well as those accredited by the California Medical Association, Massachusetts Medical Society, and Missouri State Medical Association (at the request of those state medical societies). Payment is due by January 31, 2022. Read more here. The fee schedule is posted here.

Please contact info@accme.org with any questions.

TRANSPARENCY IN MARKETING INCENTIVES FOR ACCREDITED EDUCATION

The ACCME is aware that a small number of accredited providers may offer high-value incentives to physicians as part of the purchase of their CME activities. These high-value incentives may include a gift card or an item that has tangible monetary value, such as a tablet. To maintain confidence in the integrity of the accredited CME system, the ACCME suggests that accredited providers that offer high-value incentives with the purchase of their CME activities consider the following actions:

• Ensure the receipt separates and discloses the nature and value of the incentives of tangible monetary value (such as a device or a gift card) from the cost of the learning activity itself.
• Ensure that purchasers are aware of the potential implications of the incentives on their tax reporting obligations.

Thank you for your attention to this information, which is also posted here. If you have questions, please contact info@accme.org.

Career Opportunities 

The ACCME has two position openings. Interested candidates should send their cover letter and resume to 230resumes@mysynergy.com.     

• COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR: Our team is looking for a Communications Coordinator to support and improve the ACCME’s communications via multiple channels including websites, social media, podcasts, e-newsletters, articles, and reports.
• BI/SQL DEVELOPER: We have an opening for a BI/SQL Developer to support SSIS ETL processes and create Power BI dashboards and reports that will be embedded in a React single page application and a SharePoint Intranet application.