Welcome to the February edition of AOE Compliance Connection, AOE’s monthly newsletter. We enjoy equipping you and your team with the compliance updates and CME news that will contribute to your success!
This month’s newsletter features board updates for each of the three primary boards (ACCME, ANCC, ACPE), a recap of “take home” points from the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions annual conference last month, and a quick rundown of upcoming CME-related events.
As always, we encourage you to visit www.aoeconsulting.com for ongoing information, including our weekly compliance tips!
Accreditation Board Bulletin
ACCME
The ACCME expects accredited providers to ensure independence in accredited continuing medical education (CME). This includes taking an active role in resolving conflicts of interest that arise when those with relevant financial relationships with commercial interests have the opportunity to control CME content related to the products or services of those commercial interests (SCS 2.3). But, not all resolution mechanisms are created equally! Some mechanism(s) that providers utilize to resolve a relevant financial conflict of interest for faculty/presenter cannot be utilized for a planner/manager. Make sure to employ a resolution mechanism that is appropriate for the person’s role.
An appropriate mechanism to resolve a relevant conflict of interest for faculty/presenter may include peer-review of content by a non-conflicted individual. The review should also ensure compliance with ACCME Clinical Content Validation Policy.
To resolve conflicts for planners with relevant financial relationships, the CME provider needs to implement a resolution mechanism(s) that ensures independence in the planning process, itself, prior to the development of educational content and instruction. An appropriate mechanism for COI resolution for a planner/manager may include using peer-review of planning decisions by a non-conflicted individual who has sufficient expertise to plan the activity. Additionally, a planner/manager could recuse oneself from planning content related to his/her financial relationship(s) or divests him/herself of the financial relationship(s).
There may be other methods of resolution suitable for your CME program. For examples of COI resolution mechanisms, both compliant and noncompliant, click here.
PARS Reminder:
The deadline for entering data into The Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) for the 2017 reporting year is April 2, 2018. Click here for more information on PARS.
ANCC
ANCC Accredited Providers that are part of the March or July reaccreditation cycle both have actionable items due on March 1, 2018. Providers in the July cycle must complete their renewal application in the Primary Accreditation Online Review System (PAORS) by this time; and Providers in the March cycle must submit their Self-Study package.
Steps to complete application submission in PAORS:
- An account must be created in PAORS in order to begin: Register Account at this link
- Begin and complete the application
- Upload supporting application documents one at a time and as PDF files
501 Tax Exempt Letter (if applicable)
CE Summary
International Verification Credentials (if applicable)
Note: Do not upload Self-Study documents at this time - Complete “Statement of Understanding”
- Submit upon completion of all sections
- Upload supporting application documents one at a time and as PDF files
- Payment
- Select “Manage Payment” on left-hand side of dashboard
- Invoices may be paid via check or credit card
- Approve Appraisers
- Approve or decline both a team leader and a team member
- If declined, a reasoning is requested as to why
Note: The Self-Study package cannot be submitted until all application steps have been completed.
Steps to complete self-study submission in PAORS:
- Select “Next Steps: Self Study”
- Upload Self-Study package one document at a time and as properly bookmarked PDF files
- Name files: Self Study, Activity 1, Activity 2, Activity 3
- The Documents Description box must portray these file names
Note: Documents uploaded must be final versions, as submitted files cannot be deleted.
Once the Self-Study package has been successfully submitted, the application status is noted as “Under Review”. If the ANCC staff or the appraiser team request additional items, they must be uploaded as a PDF file into the Document Library and titled “Additional Items Requested”. Additional documents do not need to be bookmarked.
Click here for more information from the ANCC PAORS guide.
NARS Reminder:
All ANCC Accredited Providers must complete annual reporting by April 1, 2018. The required annual report is to be submitted to the Nursing Activity Reporting System (NARS) and must include activity data from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017. Click here for more information.
ACPE
Each board features specific requirements for front matter materials. The ACPE’s list of requirements includes some standard items and some that are unique to the ACPE. Additionally, there are slightly different requirements for enduring versus live activities.
According to Section V, Policy 4.0 of the ACPE’s Policies and Procedures Manual, here are the requirements for live Activity Announcement Materials:
- Learning objectives
- Activity type (knowledge, application, practice)
- Target audience and designation (P and/or T)
- Faculty members name/degree/title
- Fees for activity
- Schedule/agenda for activity
- Amount of CPE credit
- Official ACPE logo, used in conjunction with accreditation statement
- Assigned UAN
- Requirements for successful completion
- Acknowledgement of financial support
- Release/Expiration date, if applicable
In addition to these required items, the following are also required for the Activity Announcements for enduring/internet based activities:
- Hardware requirements
- Software requirements
- Internet connectivity
- Provider contact information
- Policy on privacy and confidentiality
You can read more about the activity announcement requirements and specific requirement for multi-day conference brochures in the ACPE’s Policies and Procedures manual here.
CME in the News: Joint Accreditation Expands
Last month, the Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing EducationTM announced collaborations with two new boards: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry’s Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (ARBO/COPE).
Since its inception, the goal of Joint Accreditation has been to offer organizations the opportunity to be simultaneously accredited and to allow learners a unified accreditation process and consistent set of accreditation standards. With the new collaborations, PAs and optometrists can be included in jointly accredited IPCE activities without needing to acquire separate accreditations with AAPA or COPE.
Graham McMahon, President of the ACCME, stated, “We celebrate our collaboration with our colleague accreditors, AAPA and COPE, because it empowers educators to expand the diversity of their IPCE programs. With IPCE, all voices are heard-and this collaboration promotes the involvement of more professions in improving team care for the patients we all serve.”
Read the full article on the Joint Accreditation website here.
Alliance Conference 2018
At the end of January, AOE Program Managers attended the 43rd Annual Conference of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEhp). The conference took place January 20-23, 2018 in Orlando, FL.
While educational session topics varied, “improving patient care” served as the underlying theme throughout the conference. In order to maximize collective learning and bring our clients as many best practices, tools and strategies as possible, AOE staff members attended different educational sessions.
Here are our key takeaways:
Patient Care Improvements
- Participatory medicine is the collaborative engagement of patients and providers that includes open communication, mutual respect, and positive information sharing.
- E-Patients are engaged, empowered, and enabled to direct their own health.
- The mantra “Nothing about me without me” captures the movement towards stronger patient/physician relationships through the use of technology.
IPCE and the Healthcare Team
- Interprofessional Education is by the team for the team.
- Teams are collaborating individuals working together towards a common goal, improving patient care.
- Individuals in different professions who play different roles in a team have unique needs that must be taken into consideration when planning a CME/CE activity.
- Keep in mind that not all members of a healthcare team can utilize CME/CE credit.
Alignments and Incentives
- Use them or lose them! The ACCME is encouraging providers to take advantage of recent alignments and incentives:
- AMA Alignment: Traditional activity types don’t have to be used anymore; the ACCME is encouraging providers to think outside the box.
- AOA Alignments: ACCME counts towards AOA accreditation; nothing differently needs done other than to market to an osteopathic audience.
- MOC Opportunities: The ACCME is looking to incorporate more ABMS boards. MOC is about self-assessment and shouldn’t be singularly focused on points.
- Joint Accreditation: Physician Assistants and Optometrists are now included.
CME Nuts & Bolts
- Learning objectives are the “workhorses” of CME/CE and should be as complex as the activity, taking the learners on a complete journey.
- Grant submissions should include high level outcomes, accuracy, a population big enough to generate results, and alignment between all elements.
- The New CHCP Exam: Includes 160 questions across 4 key areas, 3 hours to complete.
- Advanced CME for MOC: Ask Your Questions Webinar
March 20, 2018, online
Read More >> - ANCC Primary Accreditation New Applicant Workshop
April 3, 2018, Silver Spring, MD
Read More >> - ANCC Primary Accreditation Accredited Provider Workshop
April 4, 2018, Silver Spring, MD
Read More >> - ANCC Primary Accreditation Accredited Approver Workshop
April 5, 2018, Silver Spring, MD
Read More >> - ACCME 2018 Meeting: Building an Educational Home Together
April 17-19, 2018, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - 2018 SACME Annual Conference
April 25-28, 2018, San Antonio, TX
Read More >> - ANCC Pathway Conference
May 1-3, 2018, West Palm Beach, FL
Read More >> - Beginner CME for MOC: Ask Your Questions Webinar
May 22, 2018, online
Read More >>
