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Indiana University School of Medicine
Continuing Medical Education

Accreditation Requirements for CME Programming

The Indiana University School of Medicine’s Division of Continuing Medical Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.  As such, the office maintains responsibility for assuring physicians that CME-certified activities meet accepted standards of education that help physicians increase competence and incorporate new knowledge to improve the quality of medical care for patients and their communities.  Therefore, individuals who are preparing to develop a learning activity (such as a conference or published materials) should consider important concepts and steps.

 

ACCME Expectations

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) identifies, develops and promotes standards for quality continuing medical education.  The Essential Areas and Elements (including the Standards for Commercial Support) and Accreditation Policies are the practices that a provider, such as IU School of Medicine’s Continuing Medical Education team, must implement to achieve and maintain accreditation.  Thus, those seeking CME credit from IU School of Medicine CME for learning initiatives must follow established policies and practices designed to ensure that these standards are met.

 

Requirements

All CME activities must:

Inspire Change

  • Inspire Change
    Activities must be designed to change one or more of the following: competence, performance and / or patient outcomes.
  • Align with Mission
    CME activities must align with the five components of the IU School of Medicine CME mission.
  • Address Physician Skills Gaps
    Activities must address professional practice gaps of physicians.  The practice gap is defined as the difference between current and best practice.
  • Apply Assessment Data
    Activities must be planned with needs-assessment data.
  • Incorporate Valuable Content
    All CME activities must include content that matches the intended learners’ current or potential scope of practice; is developed in the context of desirable physician attributes; and is delivered using educational formats appropriate for the setting, objectives and desired results of the activity.
  • Comply with ACCME Policies
    CME activities must be in compliance with the ACCME’s policies for disclosure and commercial support.
  • Evaluate Effectiveness
    CME activities must evaluate the effectiveness of the learning intervention in meeting the objectives.