The California Medical Association (CMA) continuing medical education (CME) team is a proponent of entering your physician learner credit for CME into the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) and has been championing this cause, giving presentations, creating guides and even developing a how-to video. But instead of focusing on the “how,” we want to explain the “why.” This small addition of individual learner credit reporting could have a big impact on your CME program.

Here is why:

• Reduced administrative burden: By reporting credits directly into PARS, it eliminates the need for both you and physicians to manually track and report their CME credits.
• Streamlined auditing: With accurate, centralized data, medical boards can potentially reduce or eliminate the need for CME audits, further decreasing stress on physicians.
• Focus on patient care: Less time spent on paperwork and administrative tasks means more time for what really matters – patient care.
• Combating burnout: While it may seem small, removing this administrative task is one step toward addressing the larger issue of physician burnout.

Implementing learner credit reporting into your existing processes is simpler than you might think, and CMA and ACCME have resources to help. The initial time investment in setting up the system pays off in long-term benefits. CMA is asking each of you to take action by committing to learner credit reporting in your organization.

Here is how you can start:

• Visit the CMA website to learn more about Learner Credit Reporting Resources.
• Reach out to cme@cmadocs.org with any questions or support needed.