About the Rule
The Policy
An accredited provider, or any of its agents, may not offer, provide, or facilitate a gift card, cash equivalent, or other form of personal remuneration to any individual learner or group of learners as part of, or in association with, the purchase or registration for an accredited continuing medical education (CME) activity. This prohibition applies regardless of the source of payment for the CME activity, including self-payment and circumstances in which an employer, institution, or other entity pays for or reimburses the costs associated with participation.
ACCME Note
The following information is intended to support the new policy, providing guidance to accredited providers:
- Permitted Practices: This policy does not prohibit the offering of a discount, credit, or other price adjustment to the learner, employer, institution, or other entity that pays the registration fee for a CME activity, provided that no portion of such discount or credit is offered or transferred to an individual learner as a personal benefit. The policy also does not prohibit accredited providers from offering modest gift cards for completing an evaluation or as raffles.
- Rationale: This policy is intended to prevent the creation of a personal financial benefit to individual physicians or other learners when CME registration fees are paid by employers or other entities. Such arrangements are inconsistent with the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education.
- Implementation Note: This policy replaces ACCME’s prior communicated expectation to accredited providers regarding the use of gift cards. Accredited providers must ensure that their marketing materials, registration systems, promotional communications, and any arrangements with third-party vendors, joint providers, or agents do not include the offer or facilitation of gift cards, cash equivalents, or other personal remuneration associated with accredited CME activities.
