Definition of a Program of CME

Accreditation is granted on the basis of the provider’s demonstrated ability to plan and implement CME activities in accordance with the ACCME’s Essential Areas and Elements, Criteria and Policies, MedChi Policies and Requirements (see MedChi MAP System Mission statement) and the AMA’s requirements regarding the awarding of credit for CME. The Provider must exercise responsibility for all CME activities through its recognized CME administrative unit. The Provider should identify those CME activities within its overall program which meet the Essential Areas, Elements, Criteria and Policies.

Eligibility

Institutions and organizations not eligible for accreditation directly by the ACCME may seek accreditation from MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society. To be eligible for accreditation, a provider must offer a program of continuing professional education for physicians. Organizations whose activities draw registrants in excess of 20% from areas outside of Maryland and its contiguous states are advised to seek accreditation from the ACCME.

An organization is not eligible for accreditation if its program is devoted solely to advocacy of a modality of diagnosis or treatment which is not a subject for instruction in most medical schools whose programs of medical education are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.  An organization is not eligible for accreditation if, in the judgment of MedChi’s Continuing Medical Education Review Committee (CMERC), its program is devoted to advocacy of unscientific modalities of diagnosis, treatment or therapy.

MedChi does not accredit organizations that solely produce and/or market a product (device, biologic or pharmaceutical as regulated by the Food and Drug Administration) or activities about a product (device, biologic or pharmaceutical as regulated by the Food and Drug Administration) 

Dual Accreditation

A single provider of continuing medical education may not maintain accreditation by the ACCME and MedChi at the same time.

When a MedChi accredited provider alters its function and seeks and achieves accreditation from the ACCME, that provider should promptly notify MedChi, withdraw from the MedChi Accreditation Provider System (MAP System), and ask to be deleted from the MAP System listing of accredited providers of CME. Should an ACCME accredited provider change its role and become accredited by MedChi, a similar procedure must be followed.

If your organization interested in becoming an Accredited Provider in the MAP System please review the following:

Only certain organizations are eligible to receive accreditation as a provider of continuing medical education (CME). The following are the criteria that an organization must meet before consideration for accreditation:

• Be located in the United States and its Territories.
• Be developing and/or presenting a program of CME for physicians on a regular and recurring basis.
• Cannot be a commercial interest.
• Cannot be developing and/or presenting a program of CME that is, in the judgment of MedChi, the ACCME or AMA, devoted to advocacy on unscientific modalities of diagnosis or therapy.
• Present activities that have “valid” content. Specifically, the organization must be presenting activities that promote recommendations, treatment or manners of practicing medicine that are within the definition of CME. Applicants or Providers are not eligible for accreditation if they present activities that promote treatments that are known to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients

ACCME’s Policy on Content Validation

All the recommendations involving clinical medicine in a CME activity must be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients. All scientific research referred to, reported or used in CME in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis. Providers are not eligible for accreditation or re-accreditation if their current activities promote recommendations, treatment or manners of practicing medicine that are not within the definition of CME, or known to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients.