Continuing Medical Education (CME)
The AMA-HOD and the AMA Council on Medical Education have defined continuing medical education as follows:
CME consists of educational activities which serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public or the profession. The content of CME is the body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine and the provision of health care to the public. (HOD policy #300.988)
Accredited CME
The term used to refer to continuing medical education that has been deemed to meet the requirements and standards of a CME accrediting body.
Accredited CME provider
An organization accredited as a provider of continuing medical education. Accredited CME providers assume the responsibility and accountability for developing certified educational activities. ACCME-accredited providers represent a range of organizational types and offer CME primarily to national or international audiences of physicians and other health care professionals. Intrastate-accredited providers offer CME primarily to learners from their state/territory or contiguous states.
AMA core requirements
The AMA requirements that every activity certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ must meet. They can be found in the AMA PRA booklet.
AMA Credit Designation Statement
The statement that indicates that the activity has been certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, and includes the type of activity and number of credits.
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
The type of CME credit that physicians earn by participating in certified activities sponsored by CME providers accredited by either the ACCME or an ACCME-recognized State/Territory Medical Society; by participating in activities recognized by the AMA as valid educational activities and awarded directly by the AMA; and by participating in certain international activities recognized by the AMA through its International Conference Recognition Program.
Assessment of the learner
CME providers must assess learners to measure achievement of the educational purpose and/or objective(s).
CME activity
An educational offering that is planned, implemented, and evaluated in accordance with the ACCME Accreditation Criteria, Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, and policies; the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award CME credit system standards and policies; and the AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs pertinent opinions.
Commercial bias
Content or format in a CME activity or its related materials that promotes the products or business lines of an ineligible company. As described in the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, providers are responsible for protecting learners from commercial bias and marketing. In addition to preventing influence from ineligible companies, the Standards prohibit faculty from actively promoting or selling products or services that serve their professional or financial interests.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD), or Continuing Physician Professional Development (CPPD)
Includes all activities that physicians undertake, formally and informally, including CME, in order to maintain, update, develop, and enhance their knowledge, skills, and attitudes in response to the needs of their patients
Cultural and Linguistic Competency (CLC)
The ability and readiness of health care providers and organizations to humbly and respectfully demonstrate, effectively communicate, and tailor delivery of care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, identities and behaviors, in order to meet social, cultural and linguistic needs as they relate to patient health.
Enduring material
An activity that endures over a specified time and does not have a specific time or location designated for participation; rather, the participant determines whether and when to complete the activity. Examples: online interactive educational module, recorded presentation, podcast.
Faculty
The individuals responsible for teaching, authoring, or otherwise communicating the activity content to learners.
Financial relationships
Accredited providers must collect information from all planners, faculty, and others in control of educational content about all their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months.
Implicit Bias (IB)
The attitudes, stereotypes and feelings, either positive or negative, that affect our understanding, actions and decisions without conscious knowledge or control. Implicit bias is a universal phenomenon. When negative, implicit bias often contributes to unequal treatment and disparities in diagnosis, treatment decisions, levels of care and health care outcomes of people based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability and other characteristics.
Ineligible Company
Companies that are ineligible to be accredited in the ACCME System (ineligible companies) are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
Learner
A participant of CME activity for whom the experience served to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public or the profession.
'Other activity' format
The other activity format is used for blended (combining existing and/or new formats), new, or unique approaches that do not fall into one of the established activity types as long as the activities meet the AMA core requirements and the ACCME’s accreditation requirements.
Relevant financial relationships
As defined in the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, specifically, Standard 3: Identify, Mitigate, and Disclose Relevant Financial Relationships, relevant financial relationships are financial relationships of any amount with ineligible companies if the educational content is related to the business lines or products of the ineligible company. Providers are required to collect information from all those individuals in control of educational content about all of their financial relationships with ineligible companies within the prior 24 months. The provider is then responsible for determining which relationships are relevant.
Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)
A drug safety program that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires for certain medications with serious safety concerns to help ensure the benefits of the medication outweigh its risks. The FDA currently leverages accredited continuing education to achieve the goals of its Opioid Analgesics REMS and Mycophenolate REMS.
Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
ACCME requirements designed to ensure that accredited continuing education serves the needs of patients and the public, is based on valid content, and is free from commercial influence. The Standards comprise five standards: