Regularly Scheduled Conference (RSC) Expectations and Monitoring

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BACKGROUND:

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education defines a Regularly Scheduled Conference (RSC) as an activity that is planned to have: a series with multiple sessions that occur on an ongoing basis (offered weekly, monthly, or quarterly) and are primarily planned by and presented to the accredited organization's professional staff. Examples of activities that are planned and presented as a regularly scheduled conference are Grand Rounds, Tumor Boards, and MM Conferences. Hospitals, health systems, and medical schools are the types of CME providers that typically offer RSCs because each of these organization types has in-house professional staff. RSCs are offered as directly sponsored and jointly sponsored activities. In 2003, ACCME adopted a policy for RSCs that allows GW to monitor its own RSC compliance with ACCME's Elements and Policies. However, the ACCME expects to plan and implement its regularly scheduled conference activities according to its own policies and procedures but in a manner that is in compliance with ACCME’s Essential Areas, Elements, and Policies.

POLICY:

The Office of CEHP recognizes that Regularly Scheduled Conferences (RSCs), such as Grand Rounds, case conferences, and journal clubs are a valuable part of continuing medical education for an academic institution. The Office of CEHP maintains an annual application process with periodic interim reviews to certify RSCs that comply with ACCME requirements. RSC development and implementation will be assessed based on the following expectations:

  1. All RSCs are expected to be planned, implemented, and evaluated in compliance with the ACCME Essentials, Policies, Standards for Commercial Support, and GW Office of CEHP Policies and Procedures.
  2. All RSCs are expected to meet the ACCME definition of an RSC (see "Background" above).
  3. All RSC sessions are expected to meet the AMA definition of continuing medical education (see AMA CME Requirements for Providers and Physicians).
  4. In accordance with ACCME Element 3.1, GW entities that plan and produce CME certified RSCs must provide the resources and staffing needed to implement regularly scheduled CME conferences and to fully comply with ACCME Essentials, Policies, Standards and GW Policies and Procedures.
  5. The GW Office of CEHP's RSC oversees an RSC application and audit process to ensure that there is documented compliance with all appropriate ACCME Elements, Policies, Standards for Commercial Support, and GW Office of CEHP Policies and Procedures. To fulfill its role, CEHP requires RSC activity directors and appropriate support staff to attend an annual RSC (re-)application meeting with CEHP staff in the last two months of the academic year. At this time time utilization of the CME Planning Form for the next approval cycle will be reviewed (see Serial Activity Documents).
  6. RSC CME Planning Forms must be submitted to and receive approval from CEHP prior to the first session in the RSC.
  7. Educational needs of the target audience must be identified by the activity director. Needs may evolve over the course of the RSC implementation, but the sources for identifying needs (e.g. MM data, journal club articles, etc) must be identified at the outset. RSC planners are encouraged to utilize more than one source of needs to plan regularly scheduled conferences approved for CME credit.
  8. Learning objectives or goals of an RSC series must be developed and communicated to learners in accordance on the individual session sign-in sheets.
  9. RSC activity directors or support staff must inform invited presenters at RSCs in writing of the overall objectives, target audience description, obligations to content balance, and obligations to disclose potential conflicts of interest. For this purpose, the GW Office of CEHP provides a template for a presenter letter.
  10. The ACCME Standards for Commercial Support require the identification and resolution of potential conflicts of interest by planners and presenters of CME activities, including RSCs. (see Ask ACCME). Furthermore, disclosed potential conflicts of interest and the mechanism of resolving them must be made known to the learners by indicating the presenter's name, credentials, and potential conflict on the individual session sign-in sheet. The GW Office of CEHP provides a template for GW's Planner/Presenter Form to include with the presenter letter.
  11. RSC planners must obtain signed letters of agreement for educational grants in support of RSCs. RSC activity directors or administrative support personnel must work proactively with the Office of CEHP to ensure complete compliance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support. All grant agreements will be executed by the Office of CEHP and the grant provider only. Neither RSC activity directors or third parties such as speaker bureaus are authorized signers of grant agreements. Acknowledgement of grant support must be identified on individual session sign-in sheets.
  12. Upon receipt of grant funds, the GW Office of CEHP will issue all honoraria and travel reimbursements for appropriate presenters at CME certified RSCs. At no time may grant providers, third parties or other GW entities initiate the honoraria and reimbursement process. The GW Office of CEHP will retain 10% of the total grant amount to cover administrative costs.
  13. The effectiveness of RSCs must be evaluated by the activity director or support staff. This may be done in a number of ways including survey of learners, observations of the activity director, changes in practice over time, etc.
  14. After each session of an RSC, the completed presenter disclosure form, sign-in sheet, grant agreement (if applicable), and evaluation summary (if applicable) must be faxed to CEHP at 202-994-1791. Records of participation will be created for each learner who signed in for the session.

Success in fulfilling the expectations above will be documented for each session in the RSC via file audit. Additionally, periodic and unannounced on-site audits will be conducted by the Office of CEHP document that the spirit and intent of these expectations are fulfilled. Continued failure to meet these expectations may result in the temporary or permanent suspension of CME approval for the RSC, at the discretion of the Office of CEHP Executive Committee.

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