Frequently Asked Questions About the CME Program
Can employees of commercial interests serve as planners or speakers in our accredited CME activities?
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If the content of CME that the employee of the commercial interest controls relates to the business lines and products of its employer – NO.
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If the content of CME that the employee of the commercial interest controls DOES NOT relate to the business lines and products of its employer – YES.
Can research that was controlled in some way by a commercial interest, either through funding, collaboration, or involvement of the commercial interests’ staff in the research itself be included in accredited CME activities?
- Yes, as long as the CME activity complies with the ACCME’s Accreditation Criteria, including the ACCME® Standards for Commercial SupportSM. It is understood and accepted that industry conducts its own research and that industry partners, as funder or collaborator, in research projects. An important step in the translation of discovery to practice is the dissemination of the results of this research. There are several layers of internal and external controls already in place to manage the conduct of research (e.g., Institutional Review Boards, Government agencies) and the dissemination of results (e.g., editors, peer review, international standards.) The ACCME does not intend to interfere with these carefully managed phases.
However, when an organization chooses to base its CME content on research the organization assumes responsibilities related to CME, including compliance with the ACCME® Standards for Commercial SupportSM. The CME content (not the research that has already taken place or is taking place) cannot be controlled by a commercial interest. As an example, industry employees cannot deliver oral presentations and cannot author enduring materials that are accredited CME if the CME content relates to business lines or products of their employer.
Can employees of commercial interests submit and present New Research/Young Investigator posters?
- YES, APA insists that commercial relationships be fully disclosed at time of submission and be prominently noted on accepted posters, however we do not provide CME credit for attending poster sessions, so the ACCME prohibition above does not apply.
May I publish material from my presentation or poster following the APA Annual Meeting?
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YES, authors retain the intellectual property rights to their work. By signing the Permissions and Consent Form, presenters confer upon the APA limited rights to use and/or repurpose the information, such as to create the Annual Meeting's Syllabus & Processings Summary and New Research Abstracts publications as well as for other print and multimedia enduring materials which ensure that the meeting content continues to inform and education the professon following the conference.