New Criteria, Round One: In November 2008, the Accreditation Council for CME completed the survey process for 83 providers — the first group reviewed under the updated accreditation criteria. One provider received Level 3 Accreditation with Commendation, which confers a six-year accreditation term instead of four. Six applicants received provisional accreditation, and six providers that had initial accreditation status received a “non accreditation” decision. There are now 741 ACCME-accredited providers.

The ACCME has posted a document on its Web site, www.ACCME.org, featuring examples of how providers complied with the updated criteria, along with explanatory notes from the ACCME.

If your CME program was surveyed under the new criteria, and you'd like to share your experiences — on or off the record — please contact Editor Tamar Hosansky at (978) 466-6358 or send e-mail to thosansky@meetingsnet.com.

No Big Changes Yet: The ACCME will continue to analyze the feedback received from its calls for comment on several proposals it released last summer relating to commercial support and conflict of interest. These issues were discussed during the November 2008 board meeting and will be discussed further during the next several board meetings, the ACCME has announced. In addition, it may seek additional input from selected groups. The ACCME does not plan to take final action on these proposals until the end of 2009.

Related article:
Accreditation Council for CME Releases New Accreditation Criteria