Welcome to the July 2020 edition of AOE Compliance Connection, AOE’s monthly newsletter. We hope this finds you and your team enjoying a restful and productive summer season! This month, AOE’s newsletter includes three featured articles to keep you current in the world of CE events. We’ll explore how social justice connects with CE, provide an introductory overview to the ACCME’s Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation, and take a quick look at the ACCME Academy and the Virtual Edition of their upcoming 2020 Accreditation Workshop. As always, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for weekly compliance tips and other timely updates!
Social Justice in CE: Next Steps
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, and others have been catalysts for the Black Lives Matter movement and nationwide protests. This national response has brought our past and present history of racism and the topic of social justice into the spotlight. With a focus on health disparities and related topics, the CE enterprise has a role in this larger conversation.
In a recent publication, the American Medical Association (AMA) cites studies that “have shown that despite the improvement in the overall health of the country, racial and ethnic minorities experience a lower quality of health care – they are less likely to receive routine medical care and face higher rates of morbidity and mortality than nonminorities” (Reducing Disparities in Health Care).
Clyde W. Yancy, MD, MSc, in his article “Academic Medicine and Black Lives Matter: Time for Deep Listening”, explains that “Academic medicine has not been immune from the influence of this intensely spirited movement. #WhiteCoatsforBlackLives and #ShutdownSTEM are highly visible exhortations to raise awareness of racism on the campuses of academic medical centers.”
The conversation circles predominantly around implicit bias, and its effect on health outcomes. AAFP President, Gary L. Leroy, MD, FAAFP, states that, “Bias is state of mind tightly woven into our preexisting psychosocial fabric”. He further states that “implicit bias can be the least obvious but most devastating social determinant of health outcomes”.
Those in the field of healthcare are more determined than ever to study the effects of implicit bias in patient and health outcomes, and to make significant changes.
David R. Williams, PhD, has been a leading voice in this conversation for many years. In 2016, he developed research methods to measure racism; occurrences of discrimination and an instrument called the “Everyday Discrimination Scale” that captures and measures racist experiences. He used these tools to investigate how racism and segregation drive health disparities.
He co-authored a more recent article with Lisa A. Cooper entitled, “Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action”. Williams and Cooper argue for the health community to take needed steps towards reducing racial inequities in health, including new emphases on ensuring access to care for all, addressing patients’ social needs as well as their physical ones, and diversifying the healthcare work force.
For CE professionals interested in a conversation regarding how educators can be a part of a solutions to address social injustices, register for the ACCME workshop on Monday, July 13, 2020 at 12:00pm CT.
ACCME 2020 Accreditation Workshop: Virtual Edition
One of the new tools developed by the ACCME in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is a learning management system called the “ACCME Academy”. This portal offers CE professionals self-directed, online learning along with other resources. Beginning in the fall of 2020, the ACCME Academy will open to accredited continuing education providers and other stakeholders.
Currently, the ACCME Academy offers its learners courses, curriculums, quiz banks, a catalog of courses, polls, news updates, leaderboards, resources that include checklists, videos, and other documents ready for use.
The ACCME 2020 Accreditation Workshop is still scheduled for August 6-7 but has been transitioned to a virtual platform on the ACCME Academy platform.
At the workshop, participants can expect interactive and engaging sessions that will help you and your CE team strategize for your entire organization. The agenda includes: Eight hours of face-to-face virtual engagement with the CE community, ACCME staff members, colleagues, and faculty mentors; Tools for faculty and team engagement; Updates and engagement about relevant topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, MOC updates, MIPS, and ongoing and new public health imperatives; and additional tools and assessments to help you and your team leverage the power of CE in your organization.
Registration for the ACCME 2020 Accreditation Workshop: Virtual Edition is available via ACCME Academy and is available through 11:59 p.m. CDT on July 17.
Accreditation with Commendation Overview and Introduction
Organizations accredited with the ACCME have the option to aim for Accreditation with Commendation, which is a six-year term of accreditation. Eligibility for commendation involves the provider demonstrating compliance with not only Criteria 1-13, but also with a selection of criteria from the Menu of Commendation Criteria.
This menu approach allows for and promotes flexibility and creativity, ultimately reflecting the diversity of the CME community at large. By enabling providers to select criteria that best suit their organization, CME providers of all types can achieve Accreditation with Commendation.
To apply for Accreditation with Commendation, each CME provider must demonstrate compliance with a total of eight criteria: Any seven criteria of their choices, from any of the below categories, plus at least one criterion from the “Achieves Outcomes” category.
AOE has provided in-depth coverage of these categories and individual criteria in previous newsletter editions, and those links can be found below, along with an overview of each category.
The 16 commendation criteria are divided into the following 5 categories: 1) Promotes Team-based Education, 2) Addresses Public Health Priorities, 3) Enhances Skills, 4) Demonstrates Educational Leadership, and 5) Achieves Outcomes.
Category 1: Promotes Team-based Education
The three criteria in Category 1 are designed for providers who engage interprofessional teams in the planning and delivery process, who utilize patient/public representatives, and who involve students of the health professions during the planning and delivery of CE.
Read AOE’s in-depth coverage of Category 1 and its criteria here.
Category 2: Addresses Public Health Priorities
Category 2’s three criteria are best suited for providers who design educational initiatives that support improvements in public health and address public health issues.
Read AOE’s in-depth coverage of Category 2 and its criteria here.
Category 3: Enhances Skills
The four criteria that comprise Category 3 focus on CME that optimizes various types of learner skills and that involve individualized learning plans and/or support strategies.
Read AOE’s in-depth coverage of Category 3 and its criteria here.
Category 4: Demonstrates Educational Leadership
Providers who seek to comply with any of the three criteria in Category 4 are those who engage in research and scholarship, who support their CME team’s professional development, and who demonstrate creativity and innovation.
Read AOE’s in-depth coverage of Category 4 and its criteria here.
Category 5: Achieves Outcomes
The only mandatory category, Category 5 allows providers to select from three criteria that measure the impact of CME programs on learners’ performance, healthcare quality improvement, and the health of patients, families, and communities.
Read AOE’s in-depth coverage of Category 5 and its criteria here.
Upcoming Activities/Education Opportunities
- ACCME Advancing Social Justice with Accredited Continuing Education Webinar
July 13, Online
Read More >> - AAMSE Annual Conference
July 15-17, 2020, Austin, TX
Read More >> - ACCME August 2020 Accreditation Workshop: Virtual Edition
August 6-7, 2020, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - ACPE CPE 2020 Conference: Commitment to Excellence
September 29-30, 2020, Chicago, IL
Registration Information TBD - ANCC National Magnet Conference and Pathway to Excellence Conference
October 7-9, 2020, Atlanta, GA
Read More >>
