Third Party Agents in the Educational Grant Award and Administration Process
BACKGROUND: As the continuing medical education environment becomes more closely scruitinzed by government, industry and professional organizations, an emerging practice of pharmaceutical and device manufactures has been to contract to a third party agent responsibility for administration of their educational grants programs. Typically the pharmaceutical or device manufacturer awards a grant to the third party agent which then makes sub-awards to accredited CME providers. POLICY: Educational grant funds for CME activities that are provided to GW from a third party agent will be subject to the same documentation process as education grants received by GW directly from a pharmaceutical or device manufacturer. Therefore, an educational grant agreement for the funds must be executed in advance of the respective CME activity by the originating pharmaceutical or device manufacturer and the Office of CEHP. Also, involved representatives of the third party agent must complete Conflict of Interest Forms on which the contractual relationship with the originating grant provider must be disclosed, in additional to other relevant disclosures. |