The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) announce their collaboration on a unified Self Study Report for Accreditation of Institutions and Organizations as Providers of Continuing Education for Health Care Professionals. The collaboration is designed to simplify the application process for continuing education providers seeking accreditation by two or more of the organizations. Each organization will retain its own eligibility requirements, sets of requirements, accreditation decision-making processes and fees.

Over the last several years, an increased number of organizations have applied for accreditation from multiple health care disciplines. These providers have developed reports for each of the collaborator accreditation programs. However, the request for documentation from the accreditors is very similar. In order to avoid duplication of effort and to conserve needed resources, this Report was developed to simplify the accreditation process for continuing education providers seeking accreditation status from two or more of the following: ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC.

The implementation phase of this collaboration will begin with field-testing of the new unified report, beginning now and extending through September 2003. Any new applicant organization seeking ACCME, ANCC, and/or ACPE accreditation can be included. In addition, some organizations that are applying for reaccreditation will be asked to participate by completing the new Self Study Report instead of the current separate mechanisms for reaccreditation. These organizations will be provided with assistance throughout the process. The participating continuing education organizations will be asked for their feedback and needed changes to the process will be made as a result of the field-testing.

The ACCME, a not-for-profit agency established in 1981, accredits over 680 national providers of continuing medical education programs and oversees recognition of state/territory organizations that accredit approximately 1,800 intrastate providers. The mission of the ACCME is the identification, development, and promotion of standards for quality continuing medical education utilized by physicians in their maintenance of competence and incorporation of new knowledge to improve quality medical care for patients and their communities. The ACCME fulfills its mission through a voluntary self-regulated system for accrediting CME providers and a peer-review process responsive to changes in medical education and the health care delivery system. Member organizations of the ACCME include: American Board of Medical Specialties, American Medical Association, American Hospital Association, Council of Medical Specialty Societies, Association for Hospital Medical Education, Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S., Inc.

The ACPE accredits over 380 providers of continuing pharmaceutical education including certificate programs in pharmacy. Accreditation is the public recognition accorded a provider of continuing pharmaceutical education including certificate programs in pharmacy that is judged to meet the ACPE Criteria for Quality and Interpretive Guidelines. ACPE's Provider Accreditation Program is designed to assure pharmacists, boards of pharmacy, and other members of pharmacy's community of interests, of the quality of continuing pharmaceutical education programs.

The ANCC, a separately incorporated subsidiary of the American Nurses Association (ANA), administers the credentialing programs for the nursing profession that include accreditation, recognition, and certification, and which are based on the ANA's standards for nursing education, nursing administration, nursing practice and nursing service. The ANCC Commission on Accreditation, utilizing the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice for Nursing Professional Development, seeks to recognize excellence in continuing nursing education, is responsible for developing and administering the operational policies, procedures, and criteria that govern the accreditation and approval processes. The commission defines accreditation as a voluntary process for appraising and granting recognition to an organization or institution that meets established standards based on pre-determined criteria.

The ACCME, ANCC, and ACPE hope that this collaboration will lead to additional opportunities for cooperation and innovation. For more information or to inquire about participating in the field-testing of the unified report, contact one of the individuals below.

Kathy Johnson, EdM
Manager, Accreditation Services
ACCME
515 N. State Street, Suite 2150
Chicago, IL 60610
312/464-2500
www.accme.org

Dimitra Travlos, PharmD, BCPS
Executive Assistant Director
ACPE
20 N. Clark Street, Suite 2500
Chicago, IL 60602
312/664-3575
www.acpe-accredit.org

Kammie Monarch, RN, MS, JD
Director of Accreditation Programs
ANCC
600 Maryland Avenue, SW
Suite 100W
Washington, DC 20024-2571
202/651-7253
www.nursingcredentialing.org