Analysis of ACCME 2021 Annual Report Data
The ACCME’s 2021 Annual Report data was released on October 5, 2022. The report highlights continued growth in the accredited CE enterprise and how accredited providers navigated the pandemic to continue to offer quality education to the healthcare community. The report analyzed data from 1,668 accredited CE providers who offered, collectively, nearly 204,000 activities. Analysis shows an increase (8.58%) in participants attending CE activities. As a continued trend, non-physician participants (56%) attending CE activities surpassed physician participants (44%). Non-physician participant interactions only slightly increased by 1.47% from 2020 to 2021, a sharp contrast of 37.55% from 2019 to 2020. The number of physician learners increased by 19.13% in 2021, a significant increase from 2020, 5.37%. The overall number of accredited CE activities increased by 18.58%, while learner participation also increased by approximately 4 million learners. Three-year trend data illustrates that the number of physician participants has increased by 25.52% while the number of non-physician participants at accredited CE activities has increased by 39.57% since 2018. Overall participation in accredited CE activities has increased each year since 2010. Total annual income reported increased by 25.34% from 2020, up by approximately $568 million. Commercial support income increased by about $172 million, an increase of 23.83% from 2020. The data in the ACCME’s report confirms the accredited CE enterprise continues to “thrive together” and make available high-quality CE activities that promote interprofessional learning and improvements across clinician competence and performance.
Analysis of ACCME 2020 Annual Report Data
The ACCME’s 2020 Annual Report data was released on June 15, 2021. The report highlights continued growth in several key areas and notes that the anticipated decline in other areas was primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report analyzed data from 1,680 accredited CE providers who offered, collectively, nearly 172,000 activities. Analysis shows a noteworthy increase in participants attending CE activities amidst the pandemic. For the third straight year, non-physician participants (60%) attending CE activities surpassed physician participants (40%) and non-physician participant interactions increased by 37.55% from 2019 to 2020. The number of physician learners increased by 5.37% in 2020, approximately one million more physician interactions than in 2019. While the overall number of accredited CE activities decreased by 9.04%, learner participation increased by 22.49% or approximately 8 million learners. Three-year trend data illustrates that the number of physician participants has increased by 18.05% while the number of non-physician participants at accredited CE activities has increased by 30.83% since 2018. Overall participation in accredited CE activities has increased each year since 2010. Effectively, the CE enterprise continues to evolve and make available high-quality, CE activities that promote interprofessional learning and improvements across clinician competence, performance, and patient outcomes.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACCME report also highlights key data related to COVID-19 accredited CE activities. Across ACCME-accredited providers, 46.79% (786) planned and implemented COVID-19 related CE activities for a total of 6,417 activities offered in 2020. Of these activities, 38% were offered as internet live activities, while 35% were internet enduring material activities and 17% were courses. What is highlighted by these statistics is the response of accredited providers to design and disseminate critical information to members of the healthcare team during this unprecedented pandemic.
