Continuing Medical Education (CME) accreditation is the formal recognition that an educational activity meets nationally accepted standards for quality and independence. Accredited CME event(s) allows healthcare professionals to earn the continuing education credits required by attending an accredited event, maintaining their licenses and board certifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Expert answers to common questions about CE accreditation, compliance, and working with Amedco
A Joint Provider (also called a joint providership) is an arrangement in which an accredited organization—like Amedco—shares its accreditation with a non-accredited entity so that entity can offer certified CME credit. A Jointly Accredited provider assumes full compliance responsibility for your activity, serving as a liaison between you and your education boards. Different Joint Providers have different levels of access to education boards. Amedco carries full authority to issue credits on behalf of most major medical and mental health education boards in the United States. This makes joint providership ideal for medical societies, hospitals, healthcare companies, and educators of all stripes that want to deliver accredited education without going through the lengthy and costly process of becoming directly accredited themselves.
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) is the primary accrediting body for CME in the United States. It sets the standards that govern how CME activities are planned, delivered, and evaluated—most notably the Standards for Integrity and Independence. ACCME accredits organizations (not individual activities), and those accredited organizations are then authorized to certify AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for physicians.
A directly accredited organization holds its own ACCME (or state medical society) accreditation and is fully responsible for all compliance and quality. A jointly provided activity is one where a non-accredited organization partners with an accredited provider like Amedco to offer credit. Joint providership is faster, more cost-effective, and removes the administrative burden of maintaining full accreditation—making it the preferred model for most healthcare companies, specialty societies, and event organizers.
AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is the most widely recognized CME credit for physicians in the United States, awarded by the American Medical Association (AMA). It is accepted by virtually all state medical boards, specialty boards, and hospital credentialing committees for license renewal. Only ACCME-accredited providers (or organizations working with an accredited Joint Provider like Amedco) can certify AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Yes—this is called multiprofessional or interdisciplinary CME, and it is one of Amedco's core specialties. Because Amedco holds accreditation with the ACCME (for M.D.s), ACPE (for pharmacists), and ANCC (for nurses), a single activity managed through Amedco can simultaneously award AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ACPE CPE credit, and ANCC nursing contact hours. This eliminates the need for multiple accreditation partners and simplifies reporting across professions.
CME (Continuing Medical Education) refers broadly to ongoing professional education required for license maintenance. MOC (Maintenance of Certification, sometimes referred to as Continuous Certification) refers broadly to separately obtained and held specialty licensure administered by organizations typically dedicated to a specific type of healthcare like (but not limited to) the ABIM, ABS, or ABP—they require physicians to participate in education related to, and demonstrate competence in, their specialty.
Many accredited CME activities can also be designated for MOC Part II credit. Amedco has experience structuring activities to satisfy both CME and MOC/MOC Part II requirements across the spectrum of specialty boards, maximizing the value of each program for your audience.
Amedco provides tools, documentation, and the expertise to award credit to your education. We ensure content is valid, free of commercial bias, and of use to learners. We take on the responsibility of resolving conflicts of interest, managing commercial support, even the language attendees will need.
Amedco has experience helping organizations obtain or maintain accreditation with Joint Accreditation, but also with the boards under their umbrella: ACCME self-studies, ANCC and ACPE accreditation applications. We can help establish institutional rules and regulations that will ensure your educational program obtains accreditation or remains compliant, depending on the need at the time.
Yes. Amedco has extensive experience accrediting continuing education activities with international audiences and navigating various international reciprocities.
ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Continuing Education is the core compliance framework, either via collaboration or inspiration, for every continuing medical and mental health education board in the United States today. It is the international standard by which all other countries inherently know that authorized US education providers can be trusted to uphold the highest of ethical standards in the provision of professional education. The five Standards and their provisions regulate what is and is not acceptable for CE in America, from content validity, to the prevention of bias and marketing, and including detailed rules on the identification, mitigation and disclosure of relevant financial relationships to your learners as well as ensuring commercial support and ancillary activities don't overshadow or cast your content in the wrong light. The Standards guide and inform Amedco's every choice and decision regarding accreditation.
Commercial support is financial or in-kind contribution from a commercial interest (e.g., a pharmaceutical or device company) to fund an accredited CME activity. ACCME rules require that a written commercial support agreement be in place before the activity, and that the commercial supporter have no influence over content, faculty selection, or educational outcomes.
ACCME requires that all individuals who control CME content—including planners, faculty, and reviewers—disclose any financial relationships with commercial interests related to the educational content. If relationships exist, Amedco must determine their relevance and, if necessary, mitigate any conflicts before reporting them to your learners ahead of the pending activity. Amedco's fully online Disclosure System makes this process quick and easy both for you and your team.
Amedco's compliance team monitors ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC standards continuously and integrates regulatory updates into our workflows. We maintain thorough records and documentation for every activity, conduct pre-activity compliance reviews, manage all disclosure and conflict-of-interest processes, and provide post-activity audit support. Our clients benefit from 30+ years of accreditation expertise without needing to build that infrastructure in-house.
A needs assessment is the evidence-based process of identifying professional practice gaps—the gap between what clinicians currently do and what they should do based on best evidence. ACCME requires that all accredited CME activities be grounded in a documented needs assessment, because education that does not address a real gap is unlikely to change practice or improve patient outcomes. Amedco has greatly simplified this process to make it straightforward for joint providers while still meeting accreditation requirements.
Enduring material is a self-paced, on-demand CME activity—such as a recorded webinar, podcast, or print monograph—that learners can complete at any time. Unlike Live activities, Enduring materials do not have speaker/attendee interaction(s). Amedco accredits a wide range of enduring materials and can help you convert live event content into compliant on-demand formats to extend your program's reach and credit availability.
START with our Sales team by scheduling a call or filling out the new event template. Sales will help you decide which boards/professions you may want.
With an Accepted quote on file Amedco's easy to follow online system will adjust to your activities specific needs, helping you step through submitting documentation in easy to digest, bite sized segments. Typical, jointly accredited activities need just a few pieces of info on file:
- A short needs assessment justifying why your activity is educating learners
- Overall learning objectives
- An agenda with start/stop times
- Disclosures and mitigation
- Commercial Support agreements (if applicable)
Joint Provider clients can typically hold a fully accredited, pre-planned activity with Amedco in about 30-days. Complex or first-time programs may take longer depending on material. We recommend submitting documentation at least 4–6 weeks before your activity date to allow time for review and any revisions. Rush reviews are available for time-sensitive programs; please reach out to the Sales team to ask for Rush availability at Bids@amedcoemail.com
Amedco's fees vary based on activity type, number of credit hours, professional designations requested (physician, pharmacist, nurse, etc.), and the scope of support services needed. Because our model is built around Joint Providership, clients avoid the significant expense of obtaining and maintaining their own ACCME, ACPE, or ANCC accreditation—which can cost tens of thousands of dollars annually. Contact Amedco for a custom quote tailored to your program(s).
Amedco manages the full credit lifecycle: collecting post-activity evaluations, verifying learner completion, calculating and certifying credit hours, and issuing certificates to participants. Amedco also will report directly to the board if required (example: Pharmacists report to NABP CPE Monitor) with a 'help desk' available for certificate questions/concerns. Additionally provided activity-level outcome reports that document learner satisfaction, knowledge gains, and intended practice changes—valuable data for demonstrating educational impact.