Now Available: Executive Summary and Comments on Proposed ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence of Accredited Continuing Education
We’ve published an executive summary and the responses to the call for comment on the proposed, revised ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. There were 344 respondents to the online survey; in addition, we received responses via letters and emails. We appreciate the feedback!
Executive summary (PDF): Includes a brief overview of the responses, tables and figures illustrating respondent demographics, and figures illustrating the responses to yes/no questions about each standard.
Call for Comment Survey Responses: Includes the comments submitted through the online survey, as well as letters from organizations that represent other accreditation systems or large groups of accredited providers.
Purpose
Our goal is to streamline, clarify, and modernize the Standards, and to ensure their continued relevance and effectiveness in the changing healthcare environment. The initiative supports the ACCME’s strategic goal to assure the quality of accreditation.
Next Steps: Opportunity for Alignment
The ACCME Board of Directors reviewed the responses at its March 2020 meeting, reaffirmed its agreement with the principles described in the Standards, and came to consensus about modifications to make in response to the community’s comments.
The ACCME is working to create harmonization of the disclosure expectations with other stakeholders in the regulatory community. Respondents to our call for comment encouraged us to pursue this alignment as it would greatly simplify the disclosure process for continuing education providers, faculty members, researchers, and authors. Toward that end, the Board decided to delay adoption and implementation of the revised Standards while the discussions about alignment are taking place. We expect those discussions to conclude in the fall, facilitating release of a final version of the Standards before the end of the year.
Transition Plan
After the Board adopts the revised Standards, the ACCME will release a transition plan for the accredited continuing education community. This plan will include:
- Transition phase to give accreditors, accredited educational providers, faculty, volunteers, and other stakeholders time to prepare to meet the expectations of the revised Standards.
- Education and resources to support the continuing education community’s successful adoption of the revised Standards.
Current Standards Remain in Place
The current Standards for Commercial Support remain in place and accredited continuing education providers should continue to comply with them, in addition to complying with other accreditation requirements.
If you have questions, please contact us at info@accme.org.