AOE Compliance Connection

Welcome to the September edition of AOE Compliance Connection, AOE’s monthly newsletter. In this month’s newsletter, you can expect a sneak peek at some upcoming ACCME updates regarding PARS and CME Finder, a look at how the ACPE is equipping its providers in the transition to the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, and information on where to hear one of AOE’s own present at an upcoming conference! As always, we are here to support you with the latest CE news and weekly compliance tips on our website and social media pages. Reach out to us at inquire@aoeconsulting.com to see how we can further support you!

Accredited CE providers can look forward to many updates from the ACCME later this fall. The ACCME is planning updates to both the new Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) and the improved version of CME Finder, the free search tool that helps physicians find accredited CE activities that meet their needs.

The new PARS, in response to stakeholder feedback and requests, will streamline the reporting process and also expand user options for reporting learner data. As the ACCME continues to collaborate with more certifying and licensing boards, the new PARS will allow providers to participate in these collaborations, ultimately adding value to their accredited CE programs and learners.

Upcoming PARS Features:

• The ability to enter (and track and manage) physician-learner data for all activities (not just Maintenance of Certification (MOC)).
• Reduced data entry in the web form: streamlined process, involving only learner first name, last name, month and day of birth, and state of licensure.
• Tagging of activities by Commendation Criteria.
• The reduction of rejections in PARS by allowing for information correction prior to upload.
• Access to a standard data-sharing permission statement to use when seeking permission from physician-learners to collect and report their data.
• Pre-validation of learner-identification data prior to entering information about participation in accredited CE and MOC/Continuing Certification.
• A dashboard view of entered programs, and a display of any activities in CME Finder.

Upcoming CME Finder Enhancements:

• The ability to view more activities: CME Finder will no longer be restricted to just MOC, MIPS, and REMS activities but will include any current or future activities that the provider selects for inclusion.
• Physicians will have more search filters to use, including activity format, date, types of credit offered, topic, location, keyword, specialty, and other details.
• Physicians will soon enjoy personalized accounts that allow them to view their reported credits and create transcripts.

The new PARS and updated CME Finder are expected to launch before the end of the year. Until then, continue to enter activity and learner data as per usual – this data will be migrated into the new PARS without any required re-entry. For more information, visit the New PARS webpage.

Released in December 2020, the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education are being adopted by more than just the ACCME. As other boards adopt the new Standards, accredited providers are being offered various resources to support the transition taking place before January 1, 2022.

One of the boards adding transition tools and resources to its website is the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE). The tools added to help ACPE providers transition on time include a rubric, transition checklist, and webinar recording.

Click each of these links below to access the resource:

1. Provider Transition Checklist
2. Toolkit for Content Validity
3. Standard 5: Standards for Integrity and Independence
4. Standard 5 Rubric (New)
5. Toolkit for Identification, Mitigation, Disclosure
6. “ACPE Standards for Integrity and Independence” a recording of April 2021 webinar

ACPE Standard 5 has been updated to reflect the new ACCME Standards instead of the prior Standards for Commercial Support. Standard 5, as such, is of special interest to ACPE providers, as it specifically discusses eligibility for ACPE accreditation, including those organizations that may be accredited by ACPE (including rehab centers, blood banks, ambulatory procedure centers, health profession membership organizations, and software or game developers) and organizations that cannot be accredited by ACPE (including pharmaceutical companies, pharmaceutical distributors, device manufacturers or distributors, and pharmacy benefit managers).