Welcome to the August 2026 edition of AOE’s Monthly Newsletter. This edition of AOE Compliance Connection includes highlights from the 2025 ACCME Data Report, an ANCC update, tips for providers interested in Accreditation with Commendation, and a reminder that the 2026 ACCME Accreditation Workshop is just around the corner.
We hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
Accreditation Board Bulletin: 2025 ACCME Data Report
The ACCME released its 2025 ACCME Data Report on June 23, 2026. We recommend you read the report, titled “Sustaining Trust and Expanding Reach,” in its entirety here. In the meantime, we’ve pulled a handful of highlights:
Record High Income & Funding Diversification: Total reported income across the ACCME system hit an all-time high of $3.85 billion. Registration fees remained the largest source (roughly $2.08 billion, representing 54% of total income), followed by Commercial Support and Advertising and Exhibits Income (nearly even at approximately 22% of total income, respectively), Private Donations, and Government Grants (the last two of which are each significantly lower sources, at just 1%).
The income is a testament to the sustained growth of accredited education. Additionally, if your organization relies heavily on registration income, this is a sign that you are not alone. We speak with several accredited providers that lean on registration fees as a primary income source; others, who are exploring commercial support and advertising/exhibitor opportunities more and more. *If you are interested in discussing income strategies within an ACCME-compliant framework, reach out to us here.
Activity Types & Learner Interactions: Enduring Materials ranked as the most popular activity type in 2025 followed closely by Live Courses:
- Enduring Materials – 44% share of activities
- Live Courses – 41% share of activities
- Regularly Scheduled Series – 12% share of activities
- Internet Searching and Learning – <1% share of activities
- Other activity types – 3% share of activities
Regarding share of learner interactions, Enduring Materials also held the top ranking, but the other activity types were slightly closer in respective shares:
- Enduring Materials – 65% share of learner interactions
- Regularly Scheduled Series – 15% share of learner interactions
- Live Courses – 10% share of learner interactions
- Internet Searching and Learning – 6% share of learner interactions
- Other activity types – 3% share of learner interactions
This data rings true with our clients, a majority of whom utilize enduring materials, regularly scheduled series and live courses (e.g., annual meetings, conferences, one-off webinars). As ACCME points out, while Internet Searching and Learning activities account for a relatively small amount of total activities, they play an important role in the learning habits/lifestyle needs of physicians and other health professionals that utilize that education on their own time and in/around their clinical schedules.
Provider Types: As far as organization types are concerned, the 2025 report shows that the 1,518 providers accredited in the ACCME system breaks down to:
- Hospital/healthcare delivery system – 676
- Professional membership organization – 319
- Publishing/education company – 229
- School of medicine/health sciences – 168
- Voluntary health organization – 43
- Government/military – 37
- Insurance company/managed care company – 23
- Other – 23
This snapshot aligns with our current client partners, as well as colleagues we meet at industry conferences, workshops, and so forth. We are seeing large scale delivery systems taking pains to continually serve their busy staffs; societies/associations preserving a level of excellence in the education provided to their members; publishing/education companies who want to take their quality offerings to the next level by gaining an accredited stamp of approval; and medical schools serving a mix of faculty and next generation physicians.
Accreditation Board Bulletin: ANCC Annual Reporting Update
The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) announced a new annual reporting deadline of March 1. Per the ANCC, the update is designed to strengthen program consistency, improve review timelines, and ensure the organization can provide timely feedback and support.
The new deadline takes effect this year, so mark your calendar accordingly!
Compliance Help: The Leap to ACCME Accreditation with Commendation
In simplest terms, ACCME Accreditation with Commendation is a status reserved for providers that go above and beyond.
Beyond demonstrated compliance with ACCME’s Core Accreditation Criteria, Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE and policies—required of any provider for standard accreditation—providers with Commendation go above expectations to also demonstrate best practices and meaningful outcomes.
It’s this “above” business that can overwhelm potential applicants. However, Commendation may be more attainable for your program than you think. The critical first step is to clarify your “why” and gain an understanding of what will be expected from your program.
Here are early considerations to make that can help you determine if pursuing Commendation is right for you.
First, ensure you are eligible to apply. To apply for Accreditation with Commendation, you must first hold standard accreditation status with the ACCME.
- If you’re an accredited provider: When your current, 4-year accreditation term comes to a close and you’re up for reaccreditation, you will select Accreditation with Commendation fields and upload associated, “extra” documentation to ACCME’s Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) during the reaccreditation process.
- If you’re not an accredited provider: You must first apply for Initial Accreditation with the ACCME. If accepted, you will be awarded Provisional Accreditation for a 2-year term. When the 2-year term ends and you’re up for reaccreditation, you will apply for the standard, 4-year accreditation term. (You can then take the steps listed above!)
Consider the perks. Gaining Accreditation with Commendation has its benefits. A few to note:
- Accreditation with Commendation is a 6-year term; this means you have a longer window to prepare for the next reaccreditation process.
- Commendation generates respect within the CME/CE community; you’ve proven a certain level of excellence and quality.
- Your status may be attractive to third parties whose support can further enrich your program. It may aid in drawing in new learners, subscribers, members, faculty, leadership, or funders/supporters that want to engage with your program.
Consider the planning involved. Assuming you can demonstrate compliance with all basic accreditation requirements (i.e., ACCME’s core criteria, standards, and policies), you’ll need to dedicate thoughtful analysis, strategy, and planning to outline which “extras” you’ll pursue as part of your bid for Commendation.
- You need to review the ACCME’s Menu of Criteria for Accreditation with Commendation. The menu includes 16 criteria, pertaining to these major categories: Achieves Outcomes, Promotes Team-Based Education, Addresses Public Health Priorities, Enhances Skills, and Demonstrates Educational Leadership. (View the full list here).
- You need to select 8 criteria that your program satisfies. You can pick any 7 criteria of your choosing and at least one criterion from the Achieves Outcomes category. The Achieves Outcomes category includes Improves Performance, Improves Healthcare Quality, and Improves Patient/Community Health.
- You need to consider which of your current activities will satisfy which criterion on rationale and critical elements (click on each criterion here to view them). Then, you need to check ACCME’s standard for the criterion, which is the minimum number of activities you must show meet the criterion. Don’t fret, smaller providers: this number is relative to program size!
Consider the additional documentation and data required. Once you have finalized that list of criteria you’ll pursue, you need to consider the extra documentation and data needed to effectively demonstrate them.
- You need to ensure you’re utilizing effective educational outcomes methodology, gathering sufficient evaluation data, and maintaining outcomes reports.
- Since you must select one Achieves Outcomes criterion (Improves Performance, Improves Healthcare Quality, and/or Improves Patient/Community Health), you need to make sure you have performance or patient outcomes data to support your selection.
- You need to submit additional attestations and narrative descriptions for each Commendation criterion selection in PARS.
These early considerations will help you determine if Commendation feels like a suitable next step for your program. Additionally, the ACCME offers a wealth of valuable tools to assist you throughout the process—check them out here.
If you are interested in learning more about Accreditation with Commendation and/or assistance/support with the process, reach out to the AOE team here.
CE Community: 2026 ACCME Accreditation Workshop
The ACCME will host its annual Accreditation Workshop August 25 – 26, 2026 at the Westin Chicago River North. The workshop is generally intended for newer CME professionals and prospective accreditation applicants, as it examines accreditation requirements and expectations over two days (with an optional third day for those interested in the pre-conference Newcomers’ Orientation to Accredited CE session).
With that said, the workshop can be valuable for non-beginner CME professionals and teams from accredited programs, too. To note, the workshop’s focus on the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited CE—and the hearty roundtable discussions that follow—are fantastic opportunities for continued learning. By engaging in this Standards “refresher,” you can review your current processes and take note of those that might teeter on non-compliance. Additionally, since the workshop draws attendees from a mix of provider types and programs, there are opportunities to truly learn from your colleagues. Creative approaches to activity formats, tips for more efficient evaluation design, recommendations for safe AI usage and learning management system (LMS) referrals are just a sampling of topics discussed at recent workshops.
You can view full workshop details here. The deadline to register is Friday, August 7.
Upcoming Events
- 2026 ACCME Accreditation Workshop
August 25 – 26, 2026, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - ABMS Conference 2026
September 16 – 18, 2026, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - ANCC Magnet & Pathway Conference 2026
October 29 – 31, 2026, Chicago, IL
Read More >> - ACPE Continuing Education (CE) Conference
November 16 – 18, 2026, Chicago, IL
Read More >>
