AOE Compliance Connection

Welcome to the November edition of AOE’s Monthly Newsletter. This edition of AOE Compliance Connection spotlights ACCME President and CEO Graham McMahon’s recent article on the value of CME and CPD, tips on complying with ACCME Core Criteria - CME Mission & Program Improvement, and initial reviews of the ACCME Certificate Program.

In light of Thanksgiving, just days away—we’re grateful to have you here!

In case you missed it, ACCME President and CEO Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, recently penned an article for the Journal of CME detailing the merits of accredited CME and CPD and how they are generating measurable improvements to quality, safety and efficiency in the healthcare world. His claims are supported by recent ACCME data, findings from the 2025 CPD/CE Workforce Survey, and outcomes from the Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation.

“Accredited CME ensures that this education is relevant, evidence-based, and independent, while aligning professional learning with system goals for better health, better care, and lower cost,” he says, and “when aligned with quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, education supports measurable progress towards organizational goals.”

McMahon makes a compelling case that investment in CME/CPD (finances, resources and efforts) is ultimately an investment in improved healthcare, improved patient and community health, and a sustainable workforce.

From his first day in the role as ACCME’s CEO, McMahon has analyzed and promoted accredited CME’s role to advance healthcare practices. His input is opposite of much of the historical feedback received from external and internal stakeholders—from the 2007 U.S. Senate inquiry into CME to the calls between 2008-2010 from some accredited providers to cut off grant funding for CME. The ACCME and the community of accredited providers have worked together to demonstrate that accredited CME does indeed improve performance and outcomes for individual providers, teams, systems, and patients. By incorporating new formats and approaches, along with new technologies such as artificial intelligence, accredited CME has grown into a more than $4 billion enterprise reaching larger total audiences each year.

You can read the full article here.

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the compliance tips section of the AOE website. We post weekly tips to steer providers in the right direction and provide answers to even the trickiest compliance questions. These are pooled from a variety of sources, including client inquiries, conversations with colleagues at industry events, and hot topics in the CME/CE world.

This month, we’re rolling out a series on ACCME’s Core Criteria - CME Mission & Program Improvement. Whether you’re well-versed in the criteria requirements or in need of a refresher, see the tips below to ensure you’re on track.

Q: We prefer to keep our CME/CE Program mission statement high level and ambitious, without binding us to specific results. Is that okay?

A: Per the ACCME, accredited providers must have “a CME mission statement that includes expected results articulated in terms of changes in competence, performance, or patient outcomes that will be the result of the program.” These expected results guide your program, and while you are not expected to achieve perfection, you are required to include these proposed changes in your mission statement.

Q: Is our CME/CE Program mission “permanent”?

A: Your CME/CE Program mission is dynamic and subject to change as appropriate. Various internal and external influences, including changes in organizational policy, shifts in learner needs, accreditation board updates, healthcare guidelines and government policy updates might inspire tweaks to your mission. Most accredited providers we work with update their mission statements annually, but you can feel free to update any time your program evolves.

Q: We’re a health profession membership association. Can we use our annual membership survey to determine if our current program achieves our mission statement?

A: Annual member surveys can serve as a great tool to obtain learner input and opinions on how they rate the effectiveness of your program. However, this can be highly subjective information that should not be used as your sole data source. Learner outcomes data aggregated from your full program (i.e. across various activities) should also be used in your program analysis, as it is a better indicator of actual changes in competence, performance and/or patient outcomes in line with your mission.

Q: We’ve identified some areas for future improvement in our program. Is this enough for our Self-Study Report?

A: Identifying areas for improvement is terrific, but it’s only the first step. Per the ACCME, “the provider is asked to identify, plan, and implement changes to its CME program that will help it be more effective.” Once you’ve identified areas for improvement, make a game plan and take action. You need to document these steps in your Self-Study Report to demonstrate to ACCME that your program is actively making changes to better achieve your mission.

As you may know, ACCME launched two new certificate programs earlier this year. The programs are designed for CME/CE professionals of all types who want to take the next step and deepen their skills, achieve competence, and contribute more to their CME/CE programs.

Each certificate program lasts for three months and includes self-paced online learning (about 15 hours total), live support webinars, and a proctored final assessment to wrap up the course. ACCME currently offers two areas of focus:

• ACCME Certificate in Implementing the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE
• ACCME Certificate in Data Management for Accredited CE

Leaders in the CME/CE space who recently completed the Standards certificate shared these insights:

What to expect timewise: ACCME’s projection for course completion is spot on—expect to spend roughly 15 hours to complete the program modules and engage with the practice test (which you can take multiple times). The ability to save progress and resume later allows you to slot learning time into your schedule as convenient.

Something for everyone: Whether you have a few years or 10 years of experience in the CME/CE space, the certificate program provides a healthy balance of review and greater, in-depth exploration of the Standards.

Educational formats: One colleague reported that the modules lay the information out in a clear manner and provide ample case-based and contextual examples. In her opinion, these tend to be helpful and engaging while the video vignettes of other accredited providers are not as beneficial. Though, she indicated that someone newer in CME/CE might find the video vignettes more valuable.

Value and practical takeaways: On top of reinforcing overall competence with the Standards, our colleagues say the program prompted them to evaluate their processes for reviewing eligibility. To note, the program provides helpful information on evaluating sister and parent company relationships that can be applied to better ensure your program processes comply with Standard 3.

FYI, test takers: The colleagues we interviewed believed the final, proctored test was significantly more difficult than the practice test. They recommended that individuals take their time to review the information thoroughly and read questions carefully.

We’ll continue to share feedback we receive over the coming months!

• ACPE CPE Provider Conference: Continuing Professional Development for the CE Administrator
  December 3, 2025, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm CT (Virtual Conference)
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• Joint Accreditation Provider Update Webinar
  December 8, 2025, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm CT (Virtual)
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• Alliance 2026 Annual Conference
  February 16 – 19, 2026, Atlanta, GA
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