Are you currently using the templates available for the Standards for Integrity and Independence, Standard 3: Identification, Mitigation and Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships? The California Medical Association (CMA) has found that 40% of the noncompliant decisions rendered since the introduction of the new standards were in Standard 3. Of those, 70% were noncompliant in required elements for collection mechanism and were not using the templates. Standard 3 is the most common noncompliance instance – use of the templates can help ensure your success in this requirement.

The toolkit for the Standards for Integrity and Independence includes templates, sample forms and checklists in both fillable PDF and Word documents. The forms are designed to be used with your own organization name, but remember to remove the “notes to CME staff,” which includes helpful tips just for you.

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) released the new Standards for Integrity and Independence in December 2020, along with an information packet, toolkit and resources. The new standards became effective January 1, 2022, and all continuing medical education (CME) providers are expected to have implemented them.

Use of the toolkit provides a standardized approach to implementing the ACCME standards, ensuring consistency across CME programs. Other advantages include:

• Timesaving: It offers ready-made templates and resources, saving you time in developing your own materials from scratch.
• Compliance assurance: Using the toolkit helps ensure your CME activities comply with ACCME standards, reducing the risk of accreditation issues.
• Best practices: The toolkit incorporates best practices developed by CME experts.
• Clarity: It provides clear guidance on interpreting and applying the standards, reducing confusion and potential misunderstandings.

A previous newsletter article clarifies the five separate and distinct steps in Standard 3, which can be found here. CMA encourages you to implement the SII toolkit. Reach out to us at cme@cmadocs.org for any questions or help.