Activity Accreditation Requirements

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Accredited CME is developed to promote good professional practice.

BMC Criterion 1 - A CME activity must address a specific gap in healthcare processes or healthcare outcomes.  

BMC Criterion 2 - A CME activity must be designed to change the learner's knowledge or ability or performance that is thought to underlie the gap in healthcare processes or healthcare outcomes.

BMC Criterion 3 - A CME activity must evaluate for changes that resulted from the activity. Change can be measured at the level of the individuals (e.g., knowledge or ability or performance) or at the system level (e.g., healthcare processes or healthcare outcomes.)

Accredited CME is developed independently from commercial interests.

BMC Criterion 4 - The provider develops activities/educational interventions independent of commercial interests. CME providers cannot receive guidance, either nuanced or direct, on the content of the activity or on who should deliver that content. A CME provider must ensure that the following decisions were made free of the control, and without the input or involvement, of a commercial interest. Specifically, (a) Identification of CME needs;  (b) Determination of educational objectives; (c) Selection and presentation of content; (d) Selection of all persons and organizations that will be in a position to control the content of the CME; (e) Selection of educational methods; (f) Evaluation of the activity.

BMC Criterion 5 - The provider maintains a separation of promotion from education. Product-promotion or product-specific advertisement of any type is prohibited in, or during, CME activities.

A CME activity can include persons with relevant financial relationships with commercial interests.

BMC Criterion 6 - Prior to the beginning of the educational activity all individuals with control of content of the activity must disclose to learners any relevant personal financial relationship(s) they have with a commercial interest. This disclosure must include:

• The name of the individual;
• The name of the commercial interest;
• The nature of the relationship the person has with each commercial interest.

A CME activity can receive funds ('commercial support') from firms that produce, market, resell or distribute healthcare products used by or on patients ('commercial interests'.)  

BMC Criterion 7 - The provider appropriately manages educational funds to the activity from any commercial interests. All funds provided by a commercial interest for an activity is commercial support. No other payments or funds from a commercial interest shall be given to the director of the activity, planning committee members, teachers or authors, or any others involved with the supported activity. The provider applying for accreditation must make all decisions regarding the disposition and disbursement of the commercial support. The provider must be able to produce accurate documentation detailing the receipt and expenditure of the commercial support.

BMC Criterion 8 - Prior to the beginning of the educational activity the provider must disclose to learners the source of all educational funds given to the activity by any commercial interest.  

Commercial interest - A firm that produces, markets, resells or distributes healthcare products used by or on patients.

Commercial support - All funds given by a commercial interest to an accredited CME activity. 

Relevant personal financial relationship – When 1) an individual controls the content of accredited CME personally receives money or goods from a commercial interest, and 2) the content of the accredited CME relates to the products of that commercial interest. ​