CME Accreditation Services
The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. In 2017, FSMB received its re-accreditation status with the ACCME, and since then has served nearly 40,000 learners.
As part of our ACCME accreditation, we are able to jointly provide CME activities for non-accredited, non-commercial organizations, and we welcome applications for the joint providership of continuing medical education (CME) activities. If you are interested in partnering with FSMB we ask that you contact us as early as possible in the planning process. We recommend you first contact FSMB 6-9 months before the activity start date.
As an accredited provider, FSMB is here to work with your organization to ensure the accreditation process runs as smoothly as possible. Our accreditation team is dedicated to ensuring an exemplary framework to manage your CME needs and will work with your staff to plan the educational program.
For additional information, contact edu@fsmb.org.
Joint Providership Program
The ACCME defines joint providership as the providership of a CME activity by one accredited provider, such as the FSMB, and one non-accredited organization. This joint providership process enables unaccredited organizations to participate in the planning and implementation of an educational activity approved for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM.
CME Mission Statement
The FSMB is the leader in medical regulation, serving as an innovative catalyst for effective policy and standards. The FSMB leads by promoting excellence in medical practice, licensure, and regulation as the national resource and voice on behalf of state medical and osteopathic boards in their protection of the public.
Purpose
The FSMB seeks to provide physicians and other health care professionals with continuing medical education activities focused on the enhancement of public health, safety and welfare while recognizing the value of professional development and supporting a physician’s commitment to lifelong learning.
Content Areas
The FSMB Education Services Department staff will work closely with the FSMB Education Committee, FSMB Staff, and other relevant workgroups to identify, develop, and implement CME activities that address content areas that include medical regulation, licensure, discipline, and advocacy and policy to promote public health, safety and welfare.
Target Audience
The FSMB CME program targets a diverse audience of learners, both in terms of professional background and practice environment. The audience is comprised primarily of distinguished physician and consumer members of state medical and osteopathic boards, board attorneys and other board staff, as well as representatives from international medical regulatory authorities, and academic and professional medical organizations.
Types of Activities
FSMB CME activities include directly and jointly provided live courses, enduring materials, and internet programs. The education is delivered by lectures, concurrent sessions, question-and-answer sessions, group breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, webinars, seminars, symposia, and workshops. The educational design and methods for CME activities are selected based on identified needs, content to be addressed, barriers to practice changes, and expected results.
Expected Results
The expected results of the FSMB CME program are to increase the competence of our learners through the acquisition of knowledge and new strategies to effectively address and respond to issues impacting medical regulation, and for learners to utilize the competencies acquired through educational activities that result in improved quality and safety of patient care through effective and fair medical regulation and discipline. Each CME activity is formally evaluated, and the results of the evaluations will be used to guide improvements.
Joint Providership Application Process
The following documentation is necessary to begin our review of a non-accredited organization’s educational program:
- A completed Joint Providership Activity Planning Worksheet must be submitted to FSMB at least three months prior to the activity. Included with the application must be at least one documented source for the needs assessment.
- Use this Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form to communicate to the planners and faculty the ACCME’s requirements regarding relevant financial relationships. All persons who influence the educational content are required to complete this form before any work on an educational activity begins. An individual who does not disclose or who refuses to disclose is disqualified from participating in the CME activity.
Glossary of Terms
Conflict of Interest – Circumstances create a conflict of interest when an individual has an opportunity to affect CME content about products or services of a commercial interest with which he/she has a financial relationship.
Ineligible Company – The ACCME defines an “ineligible company” as any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services used by or on patients. Providers of clinical services (i.e., hospitals, medical groups, etc.) are not usually considered ineligible companies. For examples of ineligible companies, please visit the ACCME website.
Financial Relationships – are defined as those in which a person benefits by receiving a tangible financial benefit from an ineligible company (e.g., salary, royalty, consulting fee, honoraria, ownership interest such as stocks, stock options or other ownership interest, excluding diversified mutual funds). Financial benefits are usually associated with roles such as employment, management positions, independent contractor, consulting, speaking, and teaching, membership on advisory committees or review panels, board memberships, and other activities from which remuneration is received, or expected.
Relevant Financial Relationships – are defined as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 24 months that may create a CONFLICT OF INTEREST which potentially results when an individual has an opportunity to influence CME content that relates to the products or services of the ineligible company with which he/she has a financial relationship. It is the obligation of the CME provider to determine relevance.
General Information
FSMB must approve ALL materials (printed or electronic) that pertain to registration, educational program content, exhibits and marketing PRIOR to materials being printed, posted, or distributed outside the joint provider organization. Additionally, no statement of credit can be printed on materials or promotional mailings without notification from FSMB that CME credit has been awarded by the FSMB. Once approved, FSMB will supply the correct accreditation language for marketing and other materials. Failure to abide by this can result in a cancellation of the joint provider agreement and forfeit of applicable fees.