AOE Compliance Connection – February 2018 Newsletter

Welcome to the February edition of AOE Compliance Connection, AOE’s monthly newsletter. We enjoy equipping you and your team with the compliance updates and CME news that will contribute to your success!

This month’s newsletter features board updates for each of the three primary boards (ACCME, ANCC, ACPE), a recap of “take home” points from the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions annual conference last month, and a quick rundown of upcoming CME-related events.

As always, we encourage you to visit www.aoeconsulting.com for ongoing information, including our weekly compliance tips!

Each board features specific requirements for front matter materials. The ACPE’s list of requirements includes some standard items and some that are unique to the ACPE. Additionally, there are slightly different requirements for enduring versus live activities.

According to Section V, Policy 4.0 of the ACPE’s Policies and Procedures Manual, here are the requirements for live Activity Announcement Materials:

• Learning objectives
• Activity type (knowledge, application, practice)
• Target audience and designation (P and/or T)
• Faculty members name/degree/title
• Fees for activity
• Schedule/agenda for activity
• Amount of CPE credit
• Official ACPE logo, used in conjunction with accreditation statement
• Assigned UAN
• Requirements for successful completion
• Acknowledgement of financial support
• Release/Expiration date, if applicable

In addition to these required items, the following are also required for the Activity Announcements for enduring/internet based activities:

• Hardware requirements
• Software requirements
• Internet connectivity
• Provider contact information
• Policy on privacy and confidentiality

You can read more about the activity announcement requirements and specific requirement for multi-day conference brochures in the ACPE’s Policies and Procedures manual here.

Last month, the Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education^TM announced collaborations with two new boards: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) and the Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry’s Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (ARBO/COPE).

Since its inception, the goal of Joint Accreditation has been to offer organizations the opportunity to be simultaneously accredited and to allow learners a unified accreditation process and consistent set of accreditation standards. With the new collaborations, PAs and optometrists can be included in jointly accredited IPCE activities without needing to acquire separate accreditations with AAPA or COPE.

Graham McMahon, President of the ACCME, stated, “We celebrate our collaboration with our colleague accreditors, AAPA and COPE, because it empowers educators to expand the diversity of their IPCE programs. With IPCE, all voices are heard-and this collaboration promotes the involvement of more professions in improving team care for the patients we all serve.”

Read the full article on the Joint Accreditation website here.

At the end of January, AOE Program Managers attended the 43rd Annual Conference of the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEhp). The conference took place January 20-23, 2018 in Orlando, FL.

While educational session topics varied, “improving patient care” served as the underlying theme throughout the conference. In order to maximize collective learning and bring our clients as many best practices, tools and strategies as possible, AOE staff members attended different educational sessions.

Here are our key takeaways:

Patient Care Improvements

• Participatory medicine is the collaborative engagement of patients and providers that includes open communication, mutual respect, and positive information sharing.
• E-Patients are engaged, empowered, and enabled to direct their own health.
• The mantra “Nothing about me without me” captures the movement towards stronger patient/physician relationships through the use of technology.

IPCE and the Healthcare Team

• Interprofessional Education is by the team for the team.
• Teams are collaborating individuals working together towards a common goal, improving patient care.
• Individuals in different professions who play different roles in a team have unique needs that must be taken into consideration when planning a CME/CE activity.
• Keep in mind that not all members of a healthcare team can utilize CME/CE credit.

Alignments and Incentives

• Use them or lose them! The ACCME is encouraging providers to take advantage of recent alignments and incentives:
  • AMA Alignment: Traditional activity types don’t have to be used anymore; the ACCME is encouraging providers to think outside the box.
  • AOA Alignments: ACCME counts towards AOA accreditation; nothing differently needs done other than to market to an osteopathic audience.
  • MOC Opportunities: The ACCME is looking to incorporate more ABMS boards. MOC is about self-assessment and shouldn’t be singularly focused on points.
  • Joint Accreditation: Physician Assistants and Optometrists are now included.

CME Nuts & Bolts

• Learning objectives are the “workhorses” of CME/CE and should be as complex as the activity, taking the learners on a complete journey.
• Grant submissions should include high level outcomes, accuracy, a population big enough to generate results, and alignment between all elements.
• The New CHCP Exam: Includes 160 questions across 4 key areas, 3 hours to complete.