Resources for Accreditation
General
TMA Accreditation Manual
Accreditation is official recognition by a state medical association or the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education that an organization’s overall program of physician CME meets established criteria for educational planning and quality.
Accreditation Fees
Fees related to accreditation
Terms and Definitions
Terms and definitions to support understanding of ACCME/TMA's accreditation criteria.
Sample CME Activity Development Timetable
Sample planning tasks for CME activity development.
ACCME/AMA Glossary of Terms and Definitions
AMA Physician Recognition Award Booklet
AMA Frequently Asked Questions
Mission Statement (Criterion 1)
CME Mission Statement
Resources for Implementing the ACCME/TMA Updated Accreditation Criteria
Planning (Criteria 2-10)
List of Desirable Physician Attributes (Criterion 6)
Some examples of desirable physician attributes
Activity Planning Worksheet
An example of a planning process to incorporate ACCME/TMA's updated accreditation criteria.
Evaluation (Criteria 11-13)
Activity Evaluation
The provider must evaluate the effectiveness of its CME activities in meeting identified educational needs
Overall CME Program Evaluation
The provider must evaluate the effectiveness of its overall CME program and make improvements to the program.
Standards for Commercial Support (Criteria 7-10)
Strategies and Reminders
Disclosure & Resolution of Conflicts of Interest
Use this flowchart at the beginning of your planning process for CME activities to ensure independence from ACCME-defined commercial interests.
Resolution of COI in RSS
For resolution of conflicts of interest in regularly scheduled conferences/series, e.g. case conferences, journal clubs.
Sample Forms
Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships
For disclosure of relevant financial relationships by speakers, authors and planners of CME activities.
Speaker Letter
Sample speaker confirmation letter
Sample Speaker Letter COI
Sample letter to speaker with possible conflict of interest
Disclosure to Learners
Speaker introduction and disclosure to learners for verbal disclosure using moderator form.
Honoraria Policy
It is appropriate for faculty of conferences and enduring materials to accept reasonable honoraria and to accept reimbursement for reasonable travel, lodging, and meal expenses. The amount of honoraria should not be influenced by representatives of industry or other financial contributors to the activity.
Letter of Agreement LOA
Written agreement for commercial support.
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Resources for Accreditation with Commendation
General and Implementation Timeline
Accredited CME providers have the option to aim to achieve Accreditation with Commendation. The goal is to encourage and reward accredited CME providers for implementing best practices in pedagogy, engagement, evaluation, and change management, and for focusing on generating meaningful outcomes. Providers that earn this distinction are awarded a six-year accreditation term.
There are 16 commendation criteria, divided into 5 categories: Promotes Team-based Education, Addresses Public Health Priorities, Enhances Skills, Demonstrates Educational Leadership, and Achieves Outcomes. To be eligible for Accreditation with Commendation, CME providers will need to demonstrate compliance with any seven criteria of their choice, from any category—plus one criterion from the Achieves Outcomes category—for a total of eight criteria from the Menu of Commendation Criteria.
Note: As of September 2019, Criteria 16-22 (previous commendation criteria) are no longer available for accredited providers to use to pursue commendation.
Additional information is available in the TMA Accreditation Manual.
Resources
Check out the library of FAQs, Compliance Examples, and videos provided by ACCME.
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Documents for Initial Accreditation and Reaccreditation
Initial Accreditation
Information and Pre-Application for Initial Accreditation
Information and Pre-Application for first-time applicants.
Reaccreditation
Guide to the Process for Accreditation
Instructions for providers receiving accreditation decisions from the Texas Medical Association for the Self-Study Report, Performance-in-Practice and Interview.
Self-Study Report — Reaccreditation and Initial Accreditation
Form for providers receiving accreditation decisions from the Texas Medical Association.
Self-Study Report — Accreditation with Commendation
Form for providers pursuing accreditation with commendation.
Performance-in-Practice
TMA Performance-in-Practice Structured Abstract
Includes requirements and instructions for using the structured abstract for the activity file review for providers receiving accreditation decisions from the Texas Medical Association
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