It’s always interesting to see what jobs are open in our profession! Check out the Alliance for CEhp’s list here and notice if there are any elements in the job descriptions that you think your CME team (or yourself) might be missing. If so, that would be an identified gap for the new Commendation Criterion 34, “the provider supports the continuous professional development of its CME team.”Â
Next, consider what resources available to fill that gap? Can you attend a local or national conference? Perhaps watch an archived CMEPalooza session? Or is it something that might require a longer course of study or an advanced degree?
Whatever you decide, working to enhance your skills and expertise in the field of CME in a targeted and intentional way can lead to both professional satisfaction and organizational compliance.
Adding Value to Your CME Program: ABIM Part 2 MOC Credits
CME Providers: Add ABIM Part 2 MOC Credits to Your Program Now
You are already providing high quality medical education to your physician learners. You can now help learners even more by providing required American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) medical knowledge points.
The ABIM requires physicians to obtain 20 medical knowledge points every five years, and must complete at least one MOC activity every two years. Your activities can be adapted to satisfy this requirement.
Over 200,000 physicians in the United States are Board Certified by the ABIM, including internal medicine physicians, and specialists in endocrinology, rheumatology, cardiology, infectious disease, gastroenterology, critical care, medical oncology, and more.
Help your physicians fulfill their requirements by adding ABIM Part 2 MOC credits to your CME program.
Recently, the ABIM have revised requirements so that accredited CME providers may offer education that is eligible for MOC points. This opportunity adds tremendous value to your CME program.Â
All regulatory changes require a modified approach to compliance, but the ABIM and ACCME/IMQ have collaborated to minimize the impact upon providers. You probably do not need to make very many changes to the excellent education you are already offering. At the recent IMQ Provider Conference, the ACCME CEO, Dr. Graham McMahon encouraged CME providers to consider adding ABIM Part 2 MOC to their program.
If this will add value to your activities and your organization in the eyes of attendees, but you are not sure how to make this happen, Vivacity Consulting can help. We are seasoned CME professionals with extensive experience working with hospitals, health systems, specialty societies and medical education companies.
Please contact us to learn about our pricing structure. We will assess your program, help you edit your documentation, recommend process improvements, and assist with reporting requirements.
If you are ready to give physicians the credit they deserve for the education you are already providing, contact Vivacity Consulting to help.
You might be interested in the following post as well, entitled, “Who Me, Provide MOC?”
Major Revision Necessary for ACCME Commendation Critiera
The ACCME Must Revise the Proposed New Commendation Criteria
My initial response to the proposed new commendation criteria, released January 12, 2016, was positive. I like the menu idea, and the criteria seemed in line with everything we have been discussing in the medical education world in the last 2-4 years (or longer!)
I work with reaccreditation applications and medical education programs every day. And the more I dug into the details, the more convinced I became that the ACCME is asking the impossible, at least for many of my clients.
Take Criterion 29 for example. The new criteria states, “Develops technical and procedural skills of learners.” This should be a slam-dunk for my client, SAGES. SAGES offers hands-on labs at every annual meeting, as well several enduring materials that are designed to improve (and measure) technical skills. However, when I noticed that the standard for compliance has been proposed to be > or = 10% of learners and/or activities, I did some math.
Annual Meeting attendance = 2,400
Hands On lab attendance = 92
Percentage of learners = 3.8%
So SAGES would not be in compliance with the new standard based on percentage of learners, even though SAGES invests tremendous resources and staff time into these labs. Why does SAGES offer these labs? We have determined they benefit our learners based on self-reported performance change data. In order to meet compliance, SAGES would have to hold bigger labs which would either require lower faculty:student ratios or a huge amount of resources that probably could not be procured.
What if we counted activities?
Total number of activities offered in 2014 = 111
Total number of activities that meet the critical elements of objective assessment of technical skill = 4
Percentage of activities = 3%
In order to meet compliance, SAGES would have to eliminate a large number of video education in order to bring our percentage up to 10%. This would be the only option, as the 4 activities that do meet the critical elements have cost the society millions of dollars combined.
For this reason, I urge you to comment on the proposed criteria and to demand the ACCME re-engage stakeholders from all different provider types to determine appropriate standards for compliance for these criteria.
http://www.accme.org/
The call for comment ends Feb 16, 2016.
Interactive CME proven more effective
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Accreditation with Commendation – How We Did It
Accreditation with Commendation Decisions for 3 Clients – How We Did It
Three of Vivacity Consulting clients recently received Accreditation with Commendation from the ACCME and from MAG (the ACCME state-accreditor for Georgia). Although the clients are substantially different – one is a large specialty society, one is a medium specialty society, and one is a large Children’s hospital – the strategy that we followed was similar for all three.
1. Focus on the Required Areas of Compliance First
You cannot receive Commendation unless you achieve compliance with Criteria 1-13 and the ACCME’s policies. Most importantly these days, this includes the Standards for Commercial Support. (NOTE: If you have not already improved your COI system, do so now! It should be as close to perfect as possible for your most recent activities at the minimum.)
2. Discuss Commendation Criteria Everywhere
In all three instances, we translated the criteria into plain English and then showed them around the organization. In one case, we held formal conference calls with other Department heads to discuss ways in which the society might be meeting these expectations. In another, we talked about it informally with staff and Committee members. In both instances, the Education Departments learned about endeavors that could be useful both to the Commendation criteria but also as it related to the mission of the Department. The ACCME encourages collaboration with other organizations but it turns out, obtaining commendation can happen when you improve collaboration internally.
3. Look at the Compendium
This is a no-brainer, but really study the ACCME’s examples published here. In some instances, it might spark an idea that you didn’t already have. (It is also a great idea to review these examples regularly for the mandatory criteria as well.) Reviewing these examples leads to my next point …
4. Plan Early for Commendation
It’s never too early to plan for Commendation! If you notice that your organization does something that meets an element of compliance, add it to your ACCME Reaccreditation file.
But more importantly, assess areas in which your organization might be missing the mark and determine ways that you could potentially bolster your program. It’s amazing, but the ACCME developed the Commendation criteria for a reason. It turns out that, for example, implementing non-educational strategies to foster change after an educational activity (such as sending reminder emails or Tweets about the changes that were suggested) really does make your program better and your learners more likely to make that change.
Which, in the end, is the whole point of all of this!
[The ACCME is expected to release updated Commendation Criteria in 2015. Vivacity will update this blog post, if necessary, once they do so.]
Who Me, Provide MOC?
Steps to Provide MOC to Your Learners
MOC. It’s everywhere in the medical education world! Physicians seem to hate it, your colleagues are confused by it, and you have a mandate from your director to “figure it out.” Where to start?
1. Visit the ABMS website.
http://www.abms.org/Maintenance_of_Certification/
Of particular interest are the pages entitled, “The Value of MOC” and “ABMS Evidence Library.” These pages include information that will help you understand and provide evidence to demonstrate that a Maintenance of Certification program does link to improved clinical performance and outcomes.
2. Review the Four Parts to MOC.
If you work in a CME Office, you are probably being asked to provide CME that meets Part II or Part IV requirements for MOC.  Part II is life-long learning and self-assessment or, “Educational and self-assessment programs determined by your Member Board.” Part IV is practice performance assessment or, “Demonstrate your use of best evidence and practices compared to peers and national benchmarks.”
Part II can sometimes be accomplished through the addition of an assessment at the conclusion of an activity.
Part IV is sometimes accomplished in conjunction with the Quality Department, if you have one at your institution. Many medical specialty societies have launched Part IV programs (visit ASTRO’s website to see an example that satisfies the American Board of Radiology’s requirements.)
3. Visit the relevant Board website.
Depending on the specialty, every Board has their own rules.
This is where it may get more complicated. Some Boards, such as the American Board of Pediatrics, have a formal application for approval for 1 program at a time. Other Boards, such as the American Board of Surgery, allow providers to demonstrate compliance with their requirements.
4. Consider a vendor.
Many vendors provide useful services to simplify this for your learners. I have investigated many and have found a few that I really like. You can demo one vendor, the World Continuing Education Alliance, by accessing my free educational site here. You can create a free account and play around with the system. Let me know if you have any questions!
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