The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education are joining forces to develop a new team-based accreditation program.

“It is important that all of us in healthcare contribute tools that will improve the system's reliability and quality,” says Murray Kopelow, MD, chief executive, ACCME. If approved, the system would include the establishment of a Joint Accreditation Review Committee consisting of members appointed by each of the accrediting bodies.

As the next step, the proposal, “Joint Accreditation for the Provider of Continuing Education for the Healthcare Team,” will be reviewed by a focus group of providers accredited by the ACCME, ANCC, and ACPE.

The groups have collaborated since 1998. In 2007, the ACPE and ANCC adopted the ACCME's revised Standards for Commercial Support.

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Alliance Launches New Meetings

The Alliance for Continuing Medical Education is producing a three-part webinar series that began in February and runs through June on how to implement the Accreditation Council for CME's updated accreditation criteria.

The Pharmaceutical Alliance for CME is sponsoring the first PACME spring summit, which will be held April 10 and 11 at the Sofitel Hotel in Philadelphia. Appropriate boundaries for industry-funded CME, legislative updates, and transparency in the grants process are among the topics on the agenda.

For more information, visit www.acme-assn.org.