Welcome to the May ’19 edition of AOE Compliance Connection, AOE’s monthly newsletter. Spring is upon us, and the new energy and creativity of the season can be seen throughout the CME enterprise. This month’s newsletter features board updates from ACCME, ANCC, ACPE as well as an overview of the ACCME’s latest release, the 2018-2019 Highlights Report Summary.
AOE strives to serve you and your CME/CE team with excellence. Our website has helpful tools like compliance tips, CME/CE news and information about the AOE team – visit aoeconsulting.com to see what’s all available!
AOE at the Annual Legacy Leaders Spring Gala
AOE Consulting strives to ‘give back’ and contribute to its community where we can. This past month and for the fourth year, AOE provided sponsorship support for the Annual Legacy Leaders Spring Gala hosted by Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU). Managing Director, Annika Borvansky, and Program Manager, Sarah Porter, attended the gala in support of the university and its mission to “…[cultivate] diverse health professional leaders who are dedicated to social justice and health equity for underserved populations through outstanding education, research, clinical service, and community engagement.” This year’s gala honored Timothy Watkins, Sr., President and CEO of the Watts Labor Community Action Committee and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Chief Executive Officer of Top Dawg Entertainment.
ACCME’s Highlights Report Summary
Earlier this month, the ACCME released its annual year-in-review report, Advancing CME to Optimize Care: 2018-2019 Highlights from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. This annual highlight report celebrates the accomplishments of the community of educators that address the ever-changing needs of physician learners. Additionally, it features future goals and transformation improvement initiatives for the CME world.
The report illustrated how the ACCME has addressed and met these six major strategic goals over the past year:
- To Augment Awareness of CME’s Value
- To Assure Accreditation Quality and Equivalency
- To Accelerate the Evolution of CME
- To Assist CME Educators
- To Advance Data Systems
- To Advocate for CME Scholarship
A major focus of 2019-2020 will be the protection of the independence and integrity of accredited CME/CE. A review initiative has already been launched, and an inclusive process will continue to unroll over the next year that engages stakeholders in dialogue regarding potential revisions.
ACCME President and CEO Graham McMahon stated, regarding the highlights report, “I look forward to our continued collaborations and growth, as we work together toward realizing our vision of a world where our community of educators supports clinicians in delivering optimal healthcare for all.”
Read more about the report here, and watch a report introduction video that features various ACCME staff members.
Accreditation Board Bulletin
Part of the service AOE provides to readers are weekly compliance tips and monthly CME/CE community news for ACCME, ANCC and ACPE.
ACCME
Recently, the ACCME released a statement and logo that providers may utilize to make their MIPS activities easily identifiable to learners. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) offer accredited CME as an Improvement Activity within the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) of the Quality Payment Program (QPP). Qualifying improvement activities allow providers to show their CME as promoting clinician engagement to help improve performance, quality, and safety.
Neither the statement below nor the logo are required by the ACCME, but are available to providers who would like to incorporate them into activity materials. To download the logo visit the ACCME website.
Statement:
“Completion of this accredited CME activity meets the expectations of an Accredited Safety or Quality Improvement Program (IA_PSPA_28) for the Merit-based Incentive Payment Program(MIPS).”
For additional information and resources about CME for MIPS visit the CME for MIPS webpage on the ACCME website.
ANCC
A requirement of the ANCC is that accredited providers have a Lead Nurse Planner (LNP) who is accountable for the operation of the accredited provider unit. A qualified LNP is a registered nurse with an active license and a minimum of a graduate degree. The LNP must be experienced with adult education and be well versed in the functions and expectations of an accredited provider unit.
As overseers of the provider unit as a whole, LNPs serve a number of functions:
- Leader – LNPs are accountable for all processes and outcomes of the provider unit, incorporating leadership roles and functions to support the work of the unit.
- Advocate – LNPs must advocate for the provider unit, via interdepartmental collaboration, and for changes in the practice and education of nursing that will enhance the quality of patient care.
- Educator – LNPs may serve in the role of educator directly or may assist and mentor others to fulfill the role. Regardless, a successful LNP is able to assess learner needs, analyze gaps and plan, implement and evaluate activities, and is highly knowledgeable in the area of adult learning in general.
- Mentor – LNPs should mentor nurses and other healthcare team members in both the development of learning activities that will enhance professional development and in the advancement of their own education and professional development.
- Evaluator – LNPs evaluate individual learning activities, review evaluation data from activities planned across the provider unit and assess the provider unit as a whole. This in-depth evaluation process allows the LNP to monitor the effectiveness of each activity and the program and facilitate any changes that may need to be implemented.
- Collaborator – LNPs collaborate in multiple ways, both internally and externally, from representing nursing in planning for an interprofessional conference to engaging as a member of a quality improvement team, and anywhere in between.
- Learner – LNPs continue their own professional development. Key areas include nurse educating, technology, adult education and more. Being up-to-date within the profession of nursing, accreditation and other areas of professional development play into success of the role and the provider unit.
ACPE
Last month, the ACPE released updates from their recent Commission and Board meetings. These updates ranged from staff changes to technical items, and include the following highlights:
- ACPE Executive Director Dr. Peter H. Vlasses, is retiring after 20 years in the role, and 45 years in the profession of pharmacy. They are accepting nominations and applications for the position of Executive Director.
- Three policy updates were released to CPE Providers:
- All CPE activities must now award ACPE credit.
- If residents are selected as faculty for a CPE activity, the CPE provider should ensure that a preceptor mentors the resident during activity development.
- Paper statements for participation must include a disclaimer stating that this is not the official record, and that all credit should be uploaded and accessed electronically through CPE Monitor and the participant’s NABP e-profile.
- Practice Based Activities will now be called “Certificate Programs”, but the requirements will stay the same (and can be viewed here).
- Providers are reminded and encouraged to select the appropriate topic designator when registering CPE activities. In addition to the traditional 01-05 topic designators, the new designators are also available: 06 Immunizations, 07 Compounding.
More information about the above updates can be found in the ACPE Provider Update PDF document.
- CE Pearls: ACPE Spring Education Conference
May 13-15, 2019, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - Beginner: CME for MOC Webinar
May 21, 2019, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CST, Online
Read More >> - ANCC PTAP Introductory Workshop
June 6, 2019, Silver Spring, MD
Read More >> - 2019 Texas CME Professional Development Conference
June 19-21, 2019, Irving, TX
Read More >> - ACPE CPE Modified Administrator Workshop
July 12, 2019, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - Advanced: CME for MOC Webinar
July 23, 2019, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. CST, Online
Read More >>
