January 26, 2022
Area(s) of Interest:
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
Accreditation Statement:
As we start 2022 and review all your meeting documents for compliance with the new Standards for Integrity and Independence in Continuing Education as well as incorporating the new Standards for Cultural and Linguistic Competency and Implicit Bias, please take a moment and look at your Accreditation Statement to make sure it is verbatim and correct.
The California Medical Association (CMA) Continuing Medical Education (CME) Accreditation Statement must read as follows:
For directly provided activities: “The [name of accredited provider] is accredited by the California Medical Association (CMA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.”
For jointly provided activities: “This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the California Medical Association (CMA) through the joint providership of [name of accredited provider] and [name of nonaccredited provider]. The [name of accredited provider] is accredited by the CMA to provide continuing medical education for physicians.”
Though you can find the accreditation statement on the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) website, remember that CMA is your accreditor and not ACCME. The CMA CME Accreditation Statement can be found on the CMA CME webpage under Accreditation.
Enduring Materials:
We have received several questions on activity format classification. Now that recording virtual activities has become so easy, we want to share some information on where to find answers to your questions, especially when it comes to a live vs. enduring activity.
It is first important to understand the fundamental difference between a live (virtual or in-person) activity and an “Enduring Material” (internet or other access point). From the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician’s Recognition Award and credit system page 4, we see these definitions:
LIVE ACTIVITIES: An activity that occurs at a specific time as scheduled by the accredited CME provider. Participation may be in person or remotely as is the case of teleconferences or live internet webinars.
ENDURING MATERIALS: An activity that endures over a specified time and does not have a specific time or location designated for participation, rather, the participant determines whether and when to complete the activity. (Examples: online interactive educational module, recorded presentation, podcast.) It also provides access to appropriate bibliographic sources to allow for further study.
The ACCME definition of the formats adds a little more information:
An enduring material is an on-demand activity that does not have a specific time or location designated for participation; rather, the participant determines whether and when to complete the activity. The content can be accessed at any point during the lifespan of the activity and there is no specific time designated for participation. Examples include online interactive educational modules, recorded presentations, printed materials, and podcasts.
A live course is a live activity where the learner participates in real time. A live course is planned as an individual event. A live course can either be classified as an in-person event or live-streamed via an online platform. Examples of a live course could be an annual meeting, one-off conference, or seminar.
When it comes to determining the format type, if the activity is on-demand for the learner, then it is designated as an Enduring Material. Only activities that are taking place in real time can be considered Live Courses.
If you are using recordings of an activity the was originally planned as a Live Course and making them available to your learners on-demand with CME credit, you will need to create a new Enduring Material. The live course and the recording would be considered two separate activities, and your enduring material (recording) activity would need to meet the additional requirements for that format type.
For an enduring material there are additional requirements:
- AMA requirement – Provide access to appropriate bibliographic sources to allow for further study. (Consider this where someone could get answers to questions that during the live activity were asked to the presenter.)
- ACCME requirement – Ensuring Clinical Validity of Enduring – review at least once every three years or more frequently if indicated by new scientific developments.
To research more on your own,