How should an accredited provider manage and report funds received from ineligible companies to reserve space for a CME activity that is held in conjunction with another organization's meeting?
All funds that originate from ineligible companies and are paid to reserve space to hold accredited CME activities (sometimes called satellite symposia) in conjunction with other organizations' meetings are considered commercial support. As with all commercial support, these funds must be paid directly to the accredited provider responsible for the activity or to a designated nonaccredited joint provider. The accredited provider responsible for the activity that is held in the reserved space must manage and report the funds as commercial support, in accordance with ACCME commercial support requirements in Standard 4.
Example: National Specialty Society announces that it is selling slots to hold satellite activities at its upcoming annual meeting for $10,000. USA Medical School, an ACCME-accredited provider, plans to reserve one of the slots and submits a request for the funds to pay the fee from Pharma Inc. There is a signed written agreement for the funds and Pharma Inc., an ineligible company, pays the funds directly to USA Medical School. USA Medical School uses the funds to pay National Specialty Society to reserve the space. Prior to the beginning of its CME activity, USA Medical School informs the learners about the commercial support from Pharma Inc. USA Medical School reports the funds as a commercial support to the ACCME through the Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).
Note: The only entity that should report the receipt of these funds as commercial support in the ACCME's Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) is the accredited provider taking responsibility for the CME activity.