General Information s44
General Information
The University of Pittsburgh Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences (CCEHS) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to award AMA PRA Category 1 credit (CME). The CCEHS currently awards CME credit to over 300 Regularly Scheduled Series (RSS). The ACCME defines a RSS as an activity that is planned to have 1) a series with multiple sessions that 2) occur on an ongoing basis (offered weekly, monthly, or quarterly) and 3) are primarily planned by and presented to the organization’s professional staff. It is the responsibility of the CCEHS to ensure compliance with all ACCME criteria. The RSS Renewal Questio nnaire is a tool used to determine continued certification to currently accredited series.
When approved, the designation for the RSS is valid for one year from the time of approval. Any session during that period is designated for credit if it conforms to the global learning objectives of the series.
A departmental Contact must be assigned to be responsible for submitting the required paperwork and data entry as well as on-site coordination. The Contact is required to complete an annual online training module.
For questions or concerns please contact Melinda Splane, .
Course Director Responsibilities
Course directors are responsible for assuring that the educational activity is educationally sound, free of commercial influence and fiscally responsible. Specific responsibilities include:
§ Course’s financial solvency.
§ Selecting and confirming faculty, overseeing curriculum development, and assuring that the format supports the educational goals of the program.
§ Verifying that faculty are competent in the subject area and aware of the course objectives and needs of the target audience.
§ Assuring that faculty members’ conflicts of interest are resolved prior to the activity and that relationships with industry are disclosed to participants prior to the educational activity.
§ Ensuring that all presentations are free of commercial bias.
§ Informing faculty that they must disclose experimental and off-label uses to participants.
§ Assuring that there is no marketing or other sales activity in the room in which the activity is conducted.
§ Precluding commercial interests from participating in curriculum planning activities or faculty selection.
§ Any honorarium over $1,500 must be justified in writing and is subject to review. Payments to UPMC staff and University of Pittsburgh faculty are to be made to their respective departments unless express (written) approval by the department chair or appropriate administrator is made for direct payment to the individual.
§ Honorarium payments for internal UPMC and / or University of Pittsburgh staff must follow budget reconciliation of all course expenses and the provision of all post-course requirements of grantors (if applicable).
§ Compliance with the University of Pittsburgh Industry Relationship Policy, http://www.coi.pitt.edu/IndustryRelationships/policy.htm.
Identifying Gaps in Physician Knowledge and/or Performance
In accordance with the ACCME, the activity must be designed to make a change in clinical competence (strategy), performance, or patient outcomes of these learners and they must also be designed to measure for a change in clinical competence (strategy), performance, or patient outcomes. The activity should provide practice-based learning and improvement. The learning gap should describe the nature of the disparity between current knowledge, competency, and/or performance and the ideal or desired state.
Example: Appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and referral ( Performance Gap)
Example: Ability to diagnose, formulate treatment plans, and effectively work with consultants. ( Competency Gap)
Needs Assessment
A needs assessment is the process of identifying and analyzing data that reflect the need for a particular activity. The needs assessment data is the basis for developing learning objectives for a CME activity.
Example: Although these diseases are common in primary care and neurology practice, clinicians often to not have appropriate diagnostic skills to differentiate the various syndromes and disease entities, leading to omission of valuable treatment or mismanagement.
Example: Lack of knowledge of new treatments (such as surgical interventions and new medications) and competency to manage complex therapeutic regimens (adjustment of dosage to create maximum therapeutic benefit with minimal side effects.
Needs Source
The data may be derived from a variety of sources including surveys from potential learners, past evaluation data, needed improvement in health outcomes, identified new knowledge or skills, etc. It is required that the source of the needs assessment is documented. The needs assessment data is the basis for developing learning objectives for a CME activity.
Expected Results
Description of the expected change in knowledge, competence, performance, and/or patient outcomes.
Example: It is anticipated that patient care will be improved because of XXXXXX.
Example: Improved ability to correctly diagnose patients with XXXXX and formulate treatment plans as well as effectively work with consultants.
Example: Performance gaps: Improve the accuracy of diagnosis, consistency of treatment with established guidelines, and referral patients of patients who are difficult to manage or who may be candidates for advanced medical or surgical interventions.
Learning Objectives
Objectives should not be confused with goals, which are more global. Objectives are the action statements that operationalize a goal. Learning objectives reflect what the learner will apply in the practice setting with the information gained through this educational series. Objectives clearly state the changes in competence, performance, and patient outcomes that are anticipated to be achieved as a result of the activity.
Learning objectives should include who (the learner), how (the action verb), and what (the content). Objectives should be measurable.
Clearly defined learning objectives will ensure the need is met, provide specific direction for
educational design and enhance the evaluation process.
Verbs for use in Developing Objectives:
apply / contrast / employ / list / recognizeanalyze / construct / evaluate / measure / relate
arrange / create / examine / name / review
assess / describe / explain / operate / report
categorize / defend / identify / organize / sort
cite / diagram / illustrate / predict / solve problems
classify / diagnose / integrate / prepare / translate
complete / distinguish / interpret / recall / update
Overall Goal of the Program:
Example Provide a forum to discuss the evaluation and management of patients.
Learning Objective:
Example: At the completion of the series, physicians will be able diagnose patients with XXXXX and formulate treatment plans.
Example: At the completion of the series, physicians will be able evaluate new treatment modalities for management of XXXX.
Example: At the completion of the series, physicians will be able identify patients who may be candidates for advanced medical or surgical interventions.
ACGME/ABMS Competencies
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has defined 6 core competencies for all physicians: patient care; medical knowledge; practice-based learning and improvement; interpersonal and communication skills; professionalism; and systems-based practice. The competencies are designed evaluate a physician’s that it felt best described a physician's capability practice medicine effectively. The competencies, when possible, should be addressed in CME planning.
http://www.acgme.org/outcome/comp/GeneralCompetenciesStandards21307.pdf
Patient Safety Requirement
Approved activities in the area of patient safety and risk management may include the following pics:
· Improving medical records and record keeping
· Reducing medical errors
· Professional conduct and ethics
· Improving communications
· Preventative medicine
· Healthcare quality improvements
