One Day Left to Register for Working Groups; New Standards Resources Now Available; More Updates About New PARS: Coming Summer 2021
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News
A MESSAGE FROM OUR LEADER
ONE DAY LEFT TO REGISTER FOR ANNUAL MEETING WORKING GROUPS
Don’t miss the opportunity to participate in a Working Group at the ACCME 2021 Meeting! Working Group registration closes tomorrow, March 26. Joining a Working Group gives you the opportunity to:
- Collaborate with colleagues to develop a new resource or tool for accredited continuing education providers.
- Engage in a meaningful, longitudinal learning experience with a smaller group of peers seeking to address a specific topic.
- Demonstrate leadership by learning with and from your colleagues for the benefit of the broader CE community.
If you're interested in participating in one of the ACCME 2021 Working Groups, you will need to select the Working Group Add-on ticket for $100 in addition to your general admission ticket during registration. If you’ve already registered and would like to add a Working Group to your registration, reach out to education@accme.org.
Hear more about each facilitation team’s vision for the group by viewing the intro videos we’ve added to each session in the agenda.
For more information about the ACCME 2021 Meeting, visit www.accmemeeting.org.
MORE UPDATES ABOUT NEW PARS: COMING SUMMER 2021
We’re excited to update you about the upcoming launch of ACCME’s new, improved Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS). Reflecting feedback from providers and other stakeholders, the new version of PARS will feature a modernized, user-friendly, streamlined interface for activity and learner reporting. Here are a few of the highlights.
The new PARS will offer:
- A dashboard for your CME Program, enabling you to receive notifications about your program and activities, and see high-level statistics on your program.
- The ability to tag activities by commendation criteria, supporting your efforts to achieve Accreditation with Commendation.
- Expanded capability for searching and filtering within PARS and exporting the results.
- The option to display any of your activities in CME Finder, not only those that are registered for MOC, MIPS, and REMS.
- The option to enter physician-learner data for all your activities, not only those registered for MOC. We’ll provide a more streamlined process for entering learner data using the web form and improved learner matching.
- Simplified data entry: You'll no longer need to enter the reporting year, competencies, hours of instruction, or type of in-kind commercial support you received.
For more information and tips on getting ready for the transition, visit our New PARS webpage or read more in our blog post.
Tips and Tools
STANDARDS RESOURCES TO SUPPORT YOUR TRANSITION
We are continuing to create and publish resources to support your successful transition to the new Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. The following resources are now available:
- Transition Checklist (PDF and Word)
- Frequently Asked Questions
For more resources and information, visit our Standards webpage.
NEW EDUCATIONAL DESIGN RESOURCES NOW AVAILABLE
To support the development of innovative and engaging continuing education for healthcare professionals, we’ve developed a new webpage that hosts a suite of educational design resources.
LEARN TO VACCINATE: RESOURCES FOR COVID-19 VACCINES 
Looking for evidence-based information and accredited CME on the COVID-19 vaccines? Visit LearnToVaccinate.org, which includes resources for all three currently available COVID-19 vaccines.
Our COVID-19 Educator Resources page is also updated with the latest information on the currently available COVID-19 vaccines, including resources from the CDC and vaccine manufacturers.
Collaboration and Engagement
MYCOPHENOLATE REMS PROGRAM: CE REQUEST FOR GRANT APPLICATION
We are pleased to share that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has included accredited CE in the Mycophenolate Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program, signifying the second time the FDA has included accredited CE in a REMS. The goal is to support REMS-compliant, accredited CE for mycophenolate prescribers to improve patient understanding of certain risks associated with mycophenolate. The grant application process is now open, and submissions are due by May 14, 2021 (11:59 pm ET). REMS-compliant CE activities must cover all portions of the FDA’s Mycophenolate REMS Education Blueprint for Healthcare Providers who Prescribe.
APPLY FOR ABMS VISITNG SCHOLARS PROGRAM
The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), is now accepting applications for the 2021–2022 ABMS Visiting Scholars Program™. This one-year, part-time program facilitates research exploring best practices and innovative approaches that address priorities for the certification community—physician learning and assessment, physician performance, continuing professional development, quality improvement, and patient safety. Applications are due by June 7, 2021 (5:00 pm CT). Learn more about the application process here.
CME for MOC Updates
AVAILABLE NOW: REGISTER YOUR CME ACTIVITIES FOR AMERICAN BOARD OF SURGERY CONTINUOUS CERTIFICATION
The ACCME and the American Board of Surgery (ABS) are pleased to announce that all accredited CME providers in the ACCME system are now welcome to register CME activities that meet ABS Continuous Certification Program requirements and to submit learner completion data in the Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).
The process is similar to registering activities that meet the requirements of other certifying boards that are collaborating with the ACCME. Details are described in the CME for Maintenance of Certification Program Guide.
Read more about this collaboration here.
Reminders for Accredited Providers
COMPLETE YOUR 2020 YEAR-END REPORTING IN PARS
To meet your year-end reporting requirements, you must enter data for your 2020 activities and your 2020 program summary in PARS by March 31, 2021. Providers accredited by a state medical society should check with their recognized accreditor about the deadline. For more information and links to educational resources, please visit our Data Reporting Requirements and PARS Resources pages.
Connect with Us
COFFEE WITH GRAHAM 
Over the last year, most of our educational activities have taken place on virtual platforms. In the latest episode of Coffee with Graham, Dr. Graham McMahon and Dr. Ritu Thamman talk about leveraging the power of Tweet chats to learn. Listen to the full episode here.
Looking for quick access to all of our podcasts? Open the camera app on your phone and hold it in front of the QR code here. A banner will pop up at the top of your screen—click this link to view the latest Coffee with Graham episodes.
MY WEEKEND AS A COVID-19 VACCINATOR
In his latest LinkedIn article, Dr. Graham McMahon shares his experience volunteering at a local COVID-19 vaccination clinic through the Chicago unit of Medical Reserve Corps.
“Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteers are needed more than ever. Any qualified healthcare professional can be of service from testing to training to vaccinating.”
Interested in promoting this volunteer opportunity to your clinician learners? Healthcare professionals can find their local unit of Medical Reserve Corps here.
Career Opportunities 
We are seeking a Program Support Analyst to provide support for ACCME providers, collaboration partners, staff, and volunteers in their use and understanding of ACCME’s Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).