Continuing Medical and Professional Education (CME)

Developing CME Activities on the Internet

1. Call the MCW CME Office for a consult (414-456-4900)
2. Use the CME Activity Planning Worksheet available on the CME Web site
3. Include all the disclosures and other information for CME Enduring Materials as required by ACCME Policy 1998-B-07:

Enduring Materials
In addition to all applicable ACCME requirements, providers of enduring materials must communicate the following information to participants so that they are aware of this information prior to starting the educational activity:

1. Principal faculty and their credentials;
2. Medium or combination of media used;
3. Method of physician participation in the learning process;
4. Estimated time to complete the educational activity (same as number of designated credit hours);
5. Dates of original release and most recent review or update; and
6. Termination date (date after which enduring material is no longer certified for credit).

(amended 3/2002)

Include all the elements of ACCME Policy 2002-A-11: Internet

1. CME activities delivered via the Internet are expected to be in compliance with ACCME Essential Areas, Elements, and Policies.
   
2. There shall be no CME activities of an ACCME accredited provider on a pharmaceutical or device manufacturers' product website.
   
3. With clear notification that the learner is leaving the educational website, links from the website of an ACCME accredited provider to pharmaceutical and device manufacturers' product websites are permitted before or after the educational content of a CME activity, but shall not be embedded in the educational content of a CME activity.
   
4. Advertising of any type is prohibited within the educational content of CME activities on the Internet including, but not limited to, banner ads, subliminal ads, and pop-up window ads.
   
5. The accredited provider must indicate, at the start of each Internet CME activity, the hardware and software required for the learner to participate.
   
6. The accredited provider must have a mechanism in place for the learner to be able to contact the provider if there are questions about the Internet CME activity.
   
7. The accredited provider must have, adhere to, and inform the learner about its policy on privacy and confidentiality that relates to the CME activities it provides on the Internet.
   
8. The accredited provider must be able to document that it owns the copyright for, or has received permissions for use of, or is otherwise permitted to use copyrighted materials within a CME activity on the Internet.
   
9. On-line activities typically have a "shelf life" maximum of two years. Extensions may be granted after a thorough review of the evaluation results and activity content for continued relevance.
   
10. There will always be a fee associated with CME activities posted on the internet. This fee may be paid upfront by the developers or may be assessed to the end users. Discussion of fees and the mechanism by which they are paid should be accomplished early in the planning phases so that appropriate processes are put in place.