Welcome to AOE’s August 2024 edition of AOE Compliance Connection, our monthly newsletter. As summer starts to wind down, we hope you and your team are enjoying some rest and relaxation while gearing up for a full, compliant fall season! In this newsletter, we bring you the scoop about four upcoming educational opportunities, an update about the ongoing dialogue about social media and CME, and a look at the joint statement released by nine organizations in support of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). If you haven’t already, take a moment to follow AOE on social media for helpful weekly tips and compliance updates!
ACCME: Upcoming Educational Opportunities
Over the next few months, CME providers will have their choice of upcoming educational opportunities – there is a lot in the works in the accredited education enterprise as a whole. Here is a quick overview of a highlight from each of the next four months:
August: The ACCME 2024 Accreditation Workshop is quickly approaching (August 27-28 in Chicago). Their annual fall workshop is designed specifically as a deep dive into ACCME accreditation requirements and expectations during each stage of the accreditation process. CME newcomers (part of the CME community for less than a year) can head up a day early and attend the pre-conference orientation on August 26. Learn more about the workshop, the newcomers’ orientation, and how to register here.
September: Registration for the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Conference 2024 (September 24-26 in Chicago) is now open. The conference will focus on “assessment, lifelong learning, improvement, and professionalism”. Various plenary sessions will be offered, including focuses on AI in medicine and competency-based medical education. Learn more and register here.
October: If you weren’t able to attend Thrive 2024 (or really enjoyed it and want more) then Learn to Thrive PLUS might be a good option to consider. LTT+ is a virtual only meeting on Tuesday, October 29, will be a “time- and cost-effective extension of LTT24 for attendees and non-attendees alike”.
November: For ACPE-accredited providers, the ACPE CPE Provider Conference is scheduled for November 18-20 in Chicago. The conference will include the CPE Administrator Workshop, CPD Workshop, keynotes, workshops, and roundtables focused on standards and hot topics. More details and registration information coming soon.
Compliance Support: Social Media & CME
Over the past year, the dialogue about the place of social media in CME has taken the accredited education world by storm. The CME Coalition’s release of its comprehensive Social Media Compliance Guide addresses the increasing intersection of social media and continuing education and aims to steer providers in their use of social media. More recently, the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEHP) published an article in their online Almanac: “Social Media in Medical Education: From Program Awareness to Outcomes”, which seeks to continue the dialogue begun in multiple CME gathering spaces and aims to help readers/providers choose the most appropriate social media platform for their educational goals.
Perhaps the most accessible resource available to providers is the ACCME’s series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to guide accredited providers and address key concerns. You can read a summary and comments about this guide in a recently article from the Policy & Medicine blog, here.
At the end of last month, the ACCME published a new piece in the ongoing dialogue in their Executive Summary and Quick Answers to FAQs. The summary addressed their September 2023 call for comment and included the feedback, both qualitative and quantitative, of 215 respondents. The full summary is available here. The quick answers (viewable here) address seven of the most common questions providers ask regarding the incorporation of social media in their educational endeavors.
As a reminder, it is the ACCME’s conclusion that the current requirements in the Standards apply to all accredited education, whether in-person or virtual.
CE Community: In Support of DEI
Recently, a large group of leading medical and health care associations joined forced to release a joint statement in support of DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) policies in health care. The group, which included the ACCME and Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), is focused on improving health care overall through DEI.
In their statement, the group explained that they “represent organizations and health care professionals in the United States, including physicians of varied specialties and backgrounds who have dedicated their entire careers to improving patient outcomes. For decades, we have strived to equip physicians with the best tools and evidence, so our patients receive the highest quality care possible … Our efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) seek to address the long-standing and well-documented inequities in our healthcare system and its impact on the health of our patients and communities. Excellence in patient care cannot exist until we have a physician workforce capable of caring for our patients and their needs holistically, and until the profession of medicine is accessible to all qualified individuals.”
The organizations involved include the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), American Medical Association (AMA), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS), National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME), and the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
The full joint statement can be read here.
Upcoming Events
- CACME Annual Meeting
August 16, 2024, Denver, CO
Read More >> - ACCME 2024 Accreditation Workshop
August 26-28, 2024, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - ABMS Conference 2024
September 24-26, 2024, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - Learn to Thrive PLUS
October 29, 2024, Virtual Live
Read More >> - ACPE CPE Provider Conference
November 18-20, 2024, Chicago, IL
Read More >>
