To Love or Not to Love the ACCME Proposed Revisions: That is the Question
As William Shakespeare wrote in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “The course of true love never did run smooth.” And so it is with the ACCME’s Proposal for Simplifying and Evolving the Accreditation Requirements and Process.
Although many applaud the ACCME for taking a big step forward, and I am inclined to agree, I also want to point out that …
SIMPLIFIED ≠ SIMPLE
The ACCME proposed revisions do go a long way towards eliminating inconsistencies (like the ban on corporate logos) and items that lacked common sense (such as deleting criteria 4.) Â But the items with which providers struggle, namely finding gaps and needs, the Standards for Commercial Support, program evaluation, and overall documentation, are still included. Â The proposed activity file form does not eliminate the need to have activity data.
That being said, I do love the fact that the ACCME talked with over 1,000 providers through a series of Town Halls and focus groups, to obtain suggestions which went into these proposed changes.  Because the ACCME solicited feedback from all types of providers, from large organizations and small, from those who inhabit the  ivory tower and those down in the trenches, I feel more confident that that these proposed changes reflect the reality of medical education.
Because ultimately, we all agree that we need to marry the goals of compliance and improved patient care with the realities of every day medical education business.
To quote the Bard again, “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.” Having analyzed the ACCME proposed revisions, I’m even more excited to engage with the ACCME than I was before.