Welcome to the June edition of AOE Compliance Connection, AOE’s monthly newsletter! We look forward to sharing our monthly board updates (ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC) and event and news updates for the CME/CE Enterprise.
As the temperatures warm up and summer begins, here at AOE, so too are our calendars heating up with a range of compliance management initiatives, including: accreditation and reaccreditation management, on-site compliance monitoring for annual meetings and other CME-/CE-related activities. Our team is solutions-oriented and we love what we do. We look forward to each client interaction.
This newsletter is just one of the ways we come alongside our clients and help them navigate CME/CE compliance success. We hope you enjoy this month’s edition of AOE Compliance Connection!
Accreditation Board Bulletin
ACCME: In May 2016, ACCME was invited to participate in the FDA public advisory committee meeting on the Extended-Release and Long-Acting (ER/LA) Opioid Analgesics Risk and Evaluation Mitigation Strategy (REMS).
Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME, stated, “We share the deep concerns of the FDA about the growing epidemic of opioid abuse, addiction, and overdose – and we are committed to leveraging the power of education to improve prescriber practice and to promote safe and effective care for patients. We appreciate the FDA’s recognition of the value of accredited continuing education (CE) in carrying out this critical public health initiative.”
Dr. McMahon presented data from March 2013 through April 2016 demonstrating that close to 168,000 healthcare professionals have been educated through 647 ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS-compliant activities delivered by 96 ACCME CME-accredited providers.
What are REMS-complaint accredited CE activities? Per the FDA, training will be considered “REMS-compliant training” under the ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS if:
- The training provided by CE providers is offered by an accredited provider to licensed prescribers.
- The training includes all elements of the FDA Blueprint for Prescriber Education for ER/LA Opioid Analgesics (“FDA Blueprint”).
- The training includes a post-course knowledge assessment of all of the sections of the FDA Blueprint.
- The training is subject to independent audit to confirm that conditions of the REMS training have been met.
To assist the CME community and the Food and Drug Administration, ACCME’s Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS), was modified to permit accredited providers the opportunity to submit specific REMS CME activity information they provide. Click here to see a report that contains examples of the types of data that ACCME has collected about ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS CE provided by accredited providers.
ACPE: Each accreditation board defines activity types in a unique way, and it’s helpful to have an understanding of those definitions. Continuing pharmacy education (CPE) activities are categorized into three types: Knowledge, Application, and Practice. While providers are not required to engage in all three types, they are encouraged to select types that are consistent with the provider’s mission and appropriate to meet the pharmacist and/or pharmacy technician’s educational needs.
Information specific to these activity types can be found below:
- Knowledge-based CPE activity
These CPE activities are primarily constructed to transmit knowledge (i.e., facts). The minimum amount of credit for these activities is 15 minutes or 0.25 contact hours, and an appropriate learning assessment would be questions/recalling of facts. - Application-based CPE activity
These CPE activities are primarily constructed to apply the information learned in the time frame allotted. The minimum amount of credit for these activities is 60 minutes or one contact hour, and an appropriate learning assessment would be case studies/application of principles. - Practice-based CPE activity
These CPE activities are primarily constructed to instill, expand, or enhance practice competencies through the systematic achievement of specified knowledge, skills, attitudes, and performance behaviors. The formats of these CPE activities should include a didactic component (live and/or home study) and a practice experience component (designed to evaluate the skill or application). The provider should employ an instructional design that is rationally sequenced, curricular based, and supportive of achievement of the stated professional competencies. The minimum amount of credit for these activities is 15 contact hours.
ANCC: Organizations preparing for ANCC reaccreditation or initial accreditation will be utilizing the 2015 Primary Accreditation Program criteria. As organizations prepare for these updates, there are several actions that can be taken now. Some tasks organizations may want to consider in order to meet the 2015 criteria include:
- Organizational Overview 4 and b (OO4)
Identify quality outcome measures your organization is currently collecting or wants to collect moving forward. Determine how your organization is going to evaluate the quality outcome measure in specific terms and how will the data be collected. - Educational Design Process 7 (EDP 7)
Review current evaluation methods to identify how Nurse Planners will measure a change in knowledge, skills and/or practices at the individual activity level. Determine if the method of assessment evaluates this change(s). - Quality Outcomes 2 and 3 (QO3, QO4)
Focus on quality outcome measure (OO4 a and b). This data collected will be used to provide evidence of meeting QO3 and QO4.
The ANCC has also provided several templated provider forms an organization may access using their ANCC provider username and password here.
CME in the Spotlight: Reaccreditation Management
Reaccreditation is a process most of our clients navigate every few years, and the process is different for each board. AOE currently manages reaccreditation for ACCME, ANCC, ACPE, Joint Accreditation, AANP, APA, AGD and several others.
If you are approaching reaccreditation, you can look to AOE to:
- Work with you to understand your organizational structure, culture and processes
- Benchmark your CME/CE program against best practices
- Provide analysis and consulting based on identified needs and/or areas of program improvement
- Guide internal timeline development to address all reaccreditation milestones
- Advise on self-study chapter outlines and supporting materials
- Conduct compliance reviews of performance-in-practice documentation
- Prepare you for the phone interview with a mock interview, formal questioning and full debrief, along with support during the actual interview
AOE looks forward to the opportunity of speaking with you, if you have questions about an upcoming reaccreditation and/or are seeking compliance support.
Upcoming Activities/Education Opportunities
- Association of Nursing Professional Development
July 19-22, 2016, Pittsburgh, PA
Read More >> - CME as a Bridge to Quality Accreditation Workshop
August 4-5, 2016, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - ANCC New Applicant Workshop for Providers
August 17, 2016, Seattle, WA
Read More >> - ANCC National Magnet Conference
Call for abstracts now open!
October 5-7, 2016, Orlando, FL
Read More >>
