By providing access to a variety of CME development tools and resources, the AAFP Credit System shows its commitment to helping members and CME providers as they develop CME activities for family physicians in accordance with AAFP Credit System guidelines including the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, which the AAFP has adopted as its own standards.
Credit System staff review all applications submitted for AAFP CME credit in accordance with the AAFP Credit System’s eligibility requirements.
The decision tree was created as a convenient tool for CME provider organizations that provides a pathway to understand how staff come to credit determination decisions. CME provider organizations are encouraged to use this tool if there is uncertainty about whether a topic is eligible for AAFP CME credit.
CME providers applying for AAFP CME credit must also comply with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. The CME provider must attest on the CME application that the CME activity meets all requirements of the Standards, whether the activity is being supported with commercial funding or not. All parties involved with a CME activity should have an understanding of the Standards.
Every CME provider must have the following policies/procedures in place:
1. Policy and procedure for full disclosure.
2. Policy and procedure for identification and mitigation of relevant financial relationships.
Other documents the CME provider must have on file include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Signed letter of agreement (LOA) from each commercial supporter, if the activity was commercially funded.
2. CME provider’s Disclosure and Identification of Relevant Financial Relationships policy.
3. Completed CME activity and learner evaluation results.
The CME provider should retain all documentation associated with the CME activity for three years after the CME activity’s end date.
The AAFP Credit System understands that some CME providers want to assist in reporting learners CME credit to AAFP on the behalf of their learners as a benefit.
The AAFP CME Credit Reporting Sheet was created as a convenient tool for CME providers whose CME activities have been accredited for AAFP CME credit, so that they can report their learner’s AAFP CME credits on their behalf. Once downloaded, this tool can be utilized by filling in the appropriate learner data and then emailing it as an attachment to the email address listed within the tool. The AAFP Member Resource Center will then log the CME credits into the member’s transcript on your behalf.
The following sample forms may be used by CME providers for their CME activities.