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Host an Activity

The Indiana University School of Medicine's Division of Continuing Medical Education (IUSM CME) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. As such, the IUSM CME office maintains the 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, if you are preparing to develop a learning activity such as a conference or published materials, here are some important concepts to keep in mind.

Who is the ACCME and what do they expect?

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 IUSM CME, must implement to achieve and maintain accreditation.  Thus, if you are seeking CME credit from IUSM CME for learning initiatives, you must follow established policies and practices designed to ensure that these standards are met.

What does IUSM CME require in the development process?

All activities must:

• Be designed to change one or more of the following:
  • Competence
  • Performance
  • Patient Outcomes
• Be aligned with the five components of the IUSM CME mission.
• Address professional practice gaps of physicians. The practice gap is defined as the difference between current and best practice.
• Use needs assessment data to plan the activity.
• Have 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.

• Be in compliance with ACCME's policies for disclosure and commercial support.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the learning intervention in meeting the objectives.

What are the steps in the planning process?

The IUSM CME Application and Planning Worksheet is the primary starting point that will help to lay a foundation and guide development.  To get started, establish a planning team based on the “question in practice” (area of focus or concern) you want to address.  With that in mind, the planning worksheet asks you to think through and complete these steps:

• Identify practice gaps
• Provide needs assessment data
• Write objectives and expected results
• Identify your target audience
• Suggest an appropriate educational format(s)
• List desirable physician attributes/core competencies that will be addressed
• Identify potential or known barriers to learning
• Examine patient safety concerns (if applicable)
• Determine how the activity will be evaluated against the objectives
• Identify potential partners and allies

Please allow ample time for the activity development process (at least three months) and notify the IUSM CME office as far in advance as possible to begin the steps.   We encourage you to contact the CME office at (317) 274-0104 or email Dr. Hassan Danesh at hdanesh@iupui.edu for information and assistance.

What's available to me for help and guidance?

If you would like to develop a CME activity, or are interested in collaborating on CME initiatives, many materials and resources are available to assist you in this process.  We have made a few of these resources available online in the links to the right.  Refer to the Forms page and IUSM CME’s “Handbook of Accreditation Guidelines” (available by request only) for more information about forms required throughout the development and implementation of the activity.  Also, IUSM CME policies and "how-to" tip sheets and articles will be valuable resources for the development, implementation and evaluation of CME activities.