182 SCS 1 April 2004 SCS Approved 20070516

ACCME STANDARDS FOR COMMERCIAL SUPPORT SM

Standards to Ensure the Independence of CME Activities The ACCME Standards for Commercial Support SM Standards to Ensure Independence in CME Activities

STANDARD 1: Independence teachers, authors, or participants or other 1.1A CME provider must ensure that the following education matters, including content, from a decisions were made free of the control of a commercial interest as conditions of commercial interest. The ACCME defines a contributing funds or services. “commercial interest” as any proprietary entity 3.3All commercial support associated with a CME producing health care goods or services activity must be given with the full knowledge consumed by, or used on, patients, with the and approval of the provider. exemption of non-profit or government organizations and non-health care related Written agreement documenting terms of support companies.1 3.4The terms, conditions, and purposes of the (1.a) Identification of CME needs; commercial support must be documented in a (1.b) Determination of educational written agreement between the commercial objectives; supporter that includes the provider and its (1.c) Selection and presentation of content; educational partner(s). The agreement must (1.d) Selection of all persons and include the provider, even if the support is organizations that will be in a position to given directly to the provider’s educational control the content of the CME; partner or a joint sponsor. (1.e) Selection of educational methods; 3.5The written agreement must specify the (1.f) Evaluation of the activity. commercial interest that is the source of 1.2A commercial interest cannot take the role of commercial support. non-accredited partner in a joint sponsorship 3.6Both the commercial supporter and the relationship.� provider must sign the written agreement between the commercial supporter and the provider. 2.1The provider must be able to show that everyone who is in a position to control the Expenditures for an individual providing CME content of an education activity has disclosed 3.7The provider must have written policies and all relevant financial relationships with any procedures governing honoraria and commercial interest to the provider. The reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses for ACCME defines “’relevant’ financial planners, teachers and authors. relationships” as financial relationships in any 3.8The provider, the joint sponsor, or designated amount occurring within the past 12 months educational partner must pay directly any that create a conflict of interest. teacher or author honoraria or reimbursement 2.2An individual who refuses to disclose relevant of out-of–pocket expenses in compliance with financial relationships will be disqualified from the provider’s written policies and procedures. being a planning committee member, a 3.9No other payment shall be given to the director teacher, or an author of CME, and cannot have of the activity, planning committee members, control of, or responsibility for, the teachers or authors, joint sponsor, or any development, management, presentation or others involved with the supported activity. evaluation of the CME activity. 3.10 If teachers or authors are listed on the 2.3The provider must have implemented a agenda as facilitating or conducting a mechanism to identify and resolve all conflicts presentation or session, but participate in the of interest prior to the education activity being remainder of an educational event as a learner, delivered to learners.� their expenses can be reimbursed and honoraria can be paid for their teacher or 3.1The provider must make all decisions regarding author role only. the disposition and disbursement of commercial Expenditures for learners support. 3.11 Social events or meals at CME activities 3.2A provider cannot be required by a commercial cannot compete with or take precedence over interest to accept advice or services concerning the educational events.

______AC CM E® © 2004, 2006 A CCME ST A NDARDS FO R CO MME RCIAL SUPPO RT 1 Mo difie d by AC CME Bo ar d o f D i recto rs, Mar ch 2006 3.12 The provider may not use commercial support 4.4Print or electronic information distributed about to pay for travel, lodging, honoraria, or the non-CME elements of a CME activity that personal expenses for non-teacher or non- are not directly related to the transfer of author participants of a CME activity. The education to the learner, such as schedules and provider may use commercial support to pay content descriptions, may include product- for travel, lodging, honoraria, or personal promotion material or product-specific expenses for bona fide employees and advertisement. volunteers of the provider, joint sponsor or 4.5A provider cannot use a commercial interest as educational partner. the agent providing a CME activity to learners, Accountability e.g., distribution of self-study CME activities or 3.13 The provider must be able to produce arranging for electronic access to CME accurate documentation detailing the receipt activities. � and expenditure of the commercial support. � may face the first or last pages of 4.1Arrangements for printed CME content commercial exhibits as long as these or advertisements materials are not cannot influence related to the CME planning or content they face and interfere with the are not paid for by the presentation, nor commercial supporters can they be a of the CME activity. condition of the  For computer based, advertisements and provision of promotional materials commercial support will not be visible on for CME activities. the screen at the 4.2Product-promotion same material or time as the CME product-specific content and not interleafed between advertisement of computer ‘windows’ or any type is screens of the CME prohibited in or content during CME  For audio and activities. The video recording, juxtaposition of advertisements and editorial and promotional materials advertising material will not be included on the same within the CME. products or subjects There will be no must be avoided. ‘commercial breaks.’  For live, face-to- Live (staffed face CME, exhibits, advertisements and presentations) or promotional materials enduring (printed cannot be displayed or electronic or distributed in the advertisements) educational space promotional immediately before, activities must be during, or after a kept separate from CME activity. CME. Providers cannot allow representatives  For print, of Commercial advertisements and Interests to engage promotional materials in will not be sales or promotional interleafed within activities while in the the pages of the space or place of the CME content. CME activity. Advertisements and promotional materials 4.3Educational 5.1The content or relationship(s) the of the support must materials that are format of a CME learners must be be disclosed to part of a CME activity or its informed that no learners. activity, such as related materials relevant financial 6.4‘ Disclosure’ must slides, abstracts must promote relationship(s) never include the and handouts, improvements or exist. use of a trade cannot contain any quality in Commercial support for the name or a product- advertising, trade healthcare and not CME activity. group message. name or a product- a specific 6.3The source of all Timing of disclosure group message. proprietary support from business interest commercial 6.5A provider must of a commercial interests must be disclose the above interest. disclosed to information to learners. When learners prior to 5.2Presentations must the beginning of give a balanced commercial support is ‘in- the educational view of therapeutic activity. � options. Use of kind’ the nature generic names will contribute to this AC CM E® impartiality. If the CME educational © 2004, 2006 A CCME ST A NDARDS FO R CO MME RCIAL SUPPO RT SM material or content includes trade names, where available trade names from several companies should be used, not just trade names from a single company.�

Relevant financial relationships of those with control over CME content 6.1An individual must disclose to learners any relevant financial relationship(s), to include the following information:  The name of the individual;  The name of the commercial interest(s);  The nature of the relationship the person has with each commercial interest. 6.2For an individual with no relevant financial