CME Policies

Keys to Securing Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credit for Your Educational Activities A guide to the requirements for approval of CME credits for a continuing medical education activity at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Qualifying for CME Credit
To qualify for CME credit (AMA Category 1), your activity must be sponsored by an accredited provider of CME. The CME Department of Saint Louis University School of Medicine, as the accredited provider, will sponsor or jointly sponsor your activity with your involvement and support. The CME Department assumes the responsibility and assures that your course will be in full compliance to award CME credits.

Accreditation Compliance
The CME Department at Saint Louis University School of Medicine (SLU) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. This accreditation requires the CME Department to follow the Essential Areas and Policies of the ACCME.

Approval for CME Credits
An activity submitted for CME credit approval must be in compliance with the ACCME Essential Areas and Policies and the AMA's Definition of a CME Activity. When you request CME credits, you must agree to comply with the ACCME and AMA policies and cooperate with the CME Department to insure compliance.

Submitting Your Request
Use the Approval Request Form provided by the CME Department to submit information regarding your course. Basic information required about your activity:

• Title, topic or subject matter to be covered
• Needs assessment data or information and a clear statement about the need for your activity, how that need was determined (copies of surveys, etc.), and the desired results
• Educational objectives and purpose of your activity
• Target audience
• Draft of the course content including potential topics and speakers
• Preferred date and time
• Preferred location
• Funding sources and budget information
• Anticipated attendance and geographical range for marketing

After review by the CME Department, you will receive a Service Agreement listing your responsibilities as a course sponsor or director and the responsibilities of the CME Department, fees involved, and preliminary estimate of credit hours for your activity. Adequate lead time for planning is critical when organizing a CME activity. Therefore, you should contact the CME Department as soon as you begin to develop the plans for your activity. For a major course, a minimum of 9-12 months lead time is recommended.

Faculty Disclosure
The ACCME and the AMA are concerned about potential conflict of interest, discussion of unapproved uses of pharmaceuticals or devices, and presentation of preliminary research data. Recent lawsuits indicate that an activity provider must avoid even the appearance of manipulation by pharmaceutical companies or any other underwriting agency by avoiding discussion of unapproved uses or presentation of preliminary research data without adequate disclosure. Disclosure is required of all course faculty, whether commercial support is present or not. A Faculty Disclosure Form is provided by the CME Department for use in obtaining faculty disclosure information. Faculty disclosure information must appear in all course materials, particularly in the printed handout provided for the course. The CME staff will assist you in constructing language and the format for disclosures.

Standards for Commercial Support
To meet the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support, all financial support must be paid directly to the accredited sponsor, either via the CME Department or to its authorized "agent", including a university department, a joint sponsor or an affiliate authorized by the CME Department to receive and disburse funding. These payments may be for honoraria, travel, logistical expenses and other expenses for the operation of the activity. Program directors, speakers or anyone else connected with the program may not receive direct funds or support of any nature from the underwriter. Selection of faculty and the amounts of honoraria are determined by the program director in collaboration with the CME Department. "Commercial Support for a course" includes financial support, providing equipment, supplies or food.

When a commercial supporter makes a verbal commitment of support, a Letter of Agreement must be obtained from that commercial supporter. This Letter of Agreement outlines the Standards of Commercial Support of the ACCME, and becomes an agreement between the commercial supporter and the accredited provider to maintain compliance with all guidelines. Commercial support must be acknowledged within all course materials including flyers, brochures and web site announcements.

CME Department Responsibilities
The CME Department is responsible for preserving accreditation by assuring compliance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the ACCME, and for facilitating the development and production of your proposed activity. Once the activity has been approved, the CME Department will develop a Service Agreement based on the needs of your sponsoring department or institution.

Basic "accreditation" services provided by the CME Department involve the review and approval of your course for CME credits, communication of policies and guidelines governing activities approved for credits, monitoring the activity for compliance, review and approval of promotional materials, processing CME attendance information, producing certificates of attendance, and assuming the responsibility for compliance with the ACCME Essential Areas and Policies.

The CME Department provides a full range of administrative support services for planning and implementation of your activity. Services will be discussed with you when you request approval of your course. A Service Agreement will be developed to meet your needs and will include the administrative fee. Services may include arranging conference facilities, exhibit management, marketing and promotion, financial services, budget development, faculty coordination, preparation of handout materials, registration management, course evaluation and on-site staffing.

Promotional Materials
The Department of CME will provide you with a promotional guideline that outlines the information required for announcements of approved CME activities and policies governing the format of those items. Please contact the CME Department prior to development of any materials so that compliance with ACCME guidelines can be assured. We will review these policies and guidelines with you and provide you with prompt review of your materials for publication and distribution.

The Essential Areas and Policies of the ACCME state that an accredited provider must:

1. Have a written statement of its CME mission, which includes the CME purpose, content areas, target audience, type of activities provided and expected results of the program.
2. Use a planning process that links identified educational needs with a desired result in its provision of all CME activities
3. Use needs assessment data to plan CME activities.
4. Communicate the purpose or objectives of the activity so the learner is informed before participating in the activity.
5. Evaluate the effectiveness of its CME activities in meeting identified educational needs.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of its overall CME program and make improvements to the program.
7. Have an organizational framework for the CME unit that provides the necessary resources to support its mission.
8. Operate the business and management policies and procedures of its CME program (as they relate to human resources, financial affairs and legal obligations), so that its obligations and commitments are met.
9. Present CME activities in compliance with the ACCME policies for disclosure and commercial support.

See the following web sites for additional information:
Accreditation Council for CME
American Medical Association
Alliance for CME

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