One of our core values at ACCME is to ensure we are listening to and meeting the needs of our accredited providers and healthcare professionals. As a result of feedback from our stakeholders, we launched the new, improved Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) in November 2021, which includes expanded options for reporting activity and learner credit data.
We’ve heard from numerous stakeholders that an integrated, centralized data system for finding, viewing, and tracking CME credits is essential for reducing the burden on physicians; better serving our accredited provider community; meeting the needs of credentialing, certifying, and licensing authorities; and increasing the value of accredited CME. With this in mind, we launched the new PARS to include features that make reporting learner credit data simple and efficient:
- You have the option to enter, track, and manage learner credit data for any of your activities using manual entry, batch upload, or web services.
- You can report CME and Maintenance of Certification/Continuing Certification (MOC/CC) participation in the same record, and we’ve reduced data entry in the web form.
- When using the web form, most learners will only need to enter their first and last name, month, and day of birth (not year), and state of licensure to make a match.
- We’ve created a learner validation tool, enabling you to pre-validate learner-identification data prior to entering information about participation in CME and MOC/CC, reducing rejections. This tool can be used manually, via batch upload, or web services.
What is CME Passport and How Can it Help My Physician Learners?
CME Passport (formerly CME Finder) is a free, centralized web application where physicians can create a personalized account to view, track, and generate transcripts of their reported CME credit.
The value of CME Passport in serving our stakeholders depends on you: the more activity and learner credit data that you enter in PARS, the more useful CME Passport will be for physicians. We encourage you to enter your activities prospectively in PARS, elect to display these activities in CME Passport, and enter your learner credit data in PARS. The benefits of this process include:
- Increase visibility of your CME activities; reach a wider audience of learners.
- Reinforce the value of your activities to learners and other stakeholders.
- Decrease physicians’ reporting burden, giving them more time to focus on their patients, rather than paperwork.
- Reduce your work responding to queries and certificate requests from physicians; PARS can become your system of record for physician credit data, replacing the need to issue paper or e-certificates following completion of activities.
- Support regulatory authorities by providing easier access to verified CME and MOC/CC participation data. Learner credit data entered in PARS will be made available to the participating state medical licensing boards and certifying boards in collaboration with the ACCME, eliminating the need for physicians to track and submit their credits to these boards manually. For all state licensing boards, physician learners are able to create profiles in CME Passport to view and transmit an official transcript of the CME and MOC/CC credit that has been reported on their behalf.
Learn more about CME Passport here.
New Resource! View a Webinar on How to Report Learner Credit Data
We understand that reporting learner credit data may be a new process for you, and we’re here to help! We hosted webinars to help get you started on reporting learner credit data in PARS and answer your questions about the process.
View a recording of the discussion below and explore the slides here.
Now Available: CME Passport Provider Mark 
Already reporting learner credit data in PARS for your CME activities? Advertise this service to your learners by downloading and using the CME Passport provider mark to promote the activities for which you are reporting learner credit data. We encourage accredited providers who are reporting learner credit data to utilize this mark to help demonstrate your commitment to reducing the reporting burden for your learners. Learn more about how to use the mark here.
Questions? We’re happy to help! Email info@accme.org for more information.
