Accredited continuing medical education (CME) providers must maintain specific CME records, which include activity documentation and attendance records. These records enable you to meet the requirements of annual year-end reporting and reaccreditation review.

Accreditation tip: ensure that these records are kept in a shared area accessible to everyone affiliated with your organization’s CME program and cannot be lost.

Attendance Records: An accredited provider must have mechanisms in place to record and, when authorized by the participating physician, verify participation for six years from the date of the CME activity. The accredited provider is free to choose whatever registration method works best for their organization and learners. At reaccreditation, you will submit documentation that you would provide to a learner (an individual physician) showing they were awarded American Medical Association (AMA) Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA)  credit. This is often a certificate or transcript that they might use for re-licensure or credentialing.

Activity Documentation: An accredited provider is required to retain activity files/records of CME activity planning and presentation during the current accreditation term or for the last 12 months, whichever is longer. At reaccreditation, this documentation will be used as evidence of performance-in-practice of your activities selected for review. CME providers who are unable to submit this evidence may receive a decision of probation.

Read this policy and other pertinent California Medical Association (CMA) policies, criteria and standards in the CMA CME Accreditation Requirements.