The ACCME's Essential Areas and their Elements

Essential Area 1- Purpose and Mission

1. The provider must have a written statement of its CME mission, which includes the CME purpose, content areas, target audience, type of activities provided, and expected results of the program.

Exemplary Compliance: Has a mission statement that includes all of the basic components with a strong emphasis on assessment of results.

1.2 The provider must demonstrate how the CME mission is congruent with and supported by the mission of the parent organization, if a parent organization exits.

Exemplary Compliance: CME mentioned in the parent organization mission statement and supported with financial, facility, and human resources, plus promotion of the function; and a CME mission statement that is reviewed, evaluated, and approved by the governing body of the parent organization on a regular basis.

Essential Area 2 - Educational Planning and Evaluation

1. The provider must use a planning process(es) that links identified educational needs with a desired result in its provision of all CME activities.

Exemplary Compliance: Innovative and creative planning process(es) used consistently, with documentation that identified educational needs contribute to appropriate methodology and desired results for the offered activities.

2. The provider must use needs assessment data to plan CME activities.

Exemplary Compliance: Needs assessment data from multiple sources are consistently used to plan and evaluate activities.

2.3 The provider must communicate the purpose or objectives of the activity so the learner is informed before participating in the activity.

Exemplary Compliance: Purpose of objectives of the activity describe learning outcomes in terms of physician performance or patient health and are consistently communicated to the learner.

2.4 The provider must evaluate the effectiveness of its CME activities in meeting identified educational needs.

Exemplary Compliance: Educational activities are evaluated consistently for effectiveness in meeting identified educational needs, as measured by practice application and/or health status improvement.

5. The provider must evaluate the effectiveness of its overall CME program and make improvements to the program.

Exemplary Compliance: Innovative and creative mechanism(s) in place to measure the effectiveness of the program with evidence of improvements being made on a regular basis.

Essential Area 3 - Administration

1. The provider must have an organizational framework for the CME unit that provides the necessary resources to support its mission including support by the parent organization, if a parent organization exists.

Exemplary Compliance: Organizational framework for the CME unit exists, all components of the Element (resources and support) are present including a process to review and continually improve the organizational framework.

2. The provider must operate the business and management policies and procedures of its CME program (as they relate to human resources, financial affairs and legal obligations), so that its obligations and commitments are met.

Exemplary Compliance: Business and management policies and procedures (as they relate to human resources, financial affairs and legal obligations) are in place and are effectively used by CME administration to meet its obligations and commitments in an innovative and creative manner.

3. The provider must present CME activities in compliance with ACCME’s policies for disclosure and commercial support.

Exemplary Compliance: Provider is compliant with all aspects of ACCME’s policies on disclosure and commercial support and has implemented a range of innovative and creative practices.

• Consistently discloses required information and relationships; and
• Consistently in control of content; and
• Consistently ensures that promotion and education are separate; and
• Consistently demonstrates appropriate management of funds from commercial supporters.

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