FAQs

What services do you provide and what are your fees?

We provide AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credit^TM sponsorship for appropriate educational activities. Our fees (if applicable) vary and are based on the type and size of the activity and whether you are a College of Medicine department or an outside organization (a joint provider). 

What types of educational activities and formats do you sponsor?

We provide CME sponsorship for live activities, such as conferences, regularly scheduled series (such as grand rounds), enduring materials (such as Internet programs), and for journal-based CME.

What requirements must I meet for my event to be approved as a regularly scheduled series?

The ACCME defines a regularly scheduled series (RSS) as an activity that is planned as a series with multiple, ongoing sessions (e.g., sessions that are offered weekly, monthly, or quarterly), and that is primarily planned by and presented to the accredited organization's professional staff. Examples include grand rounds, tumor boards, and morbidity and mortality conferences. The Activity Coordinator for a RSS must work with the CME office to accurately track and record a learner's participation in the series, as well as have an evaluation mechanism in place and summarize the evaluations when closeout is done at the end of the year.

How far in advance of the start date of my activity should I submit my application? 

Please send your application to us at least 60 days before you need CME credit approval. If you wish to market your activity and advertise that it offers CME credit, we will need your application 60 days before you plan to begin marketing. We can sometimes process applications that are sent 30-60 days before approval is needed, but these applications are managed on a case-by-case basis and will incur a rush fee. Please do not send sponsorship applications to us with less than 30 days prior to your activity for review.

What if I want to renew an activity that you have sponsored previously?

We can consider ongoing activities, such as Regularly Scheduled Series (RSS) and Enduring Materials, for CME sponsorship renewal on an activity specific basis and whether the activity is within the College of Medicine or external / joint provider. If not specifically designated, our renewal fees are the same as the initial application fees. Sponsorship renewal will be based on timely completion of an application and compliance with our sponsorship requirements during the previous period.

How can I send my required materials to you?

We request that you send all application materials electronically, as email attachments, to vcarrozz@uthsc.edu. If you want to confirm that we have received your information, please contact our office at 901.448.5128.

What is the difference between a directly sponsored and a jointly sponsored activity?

A directly sponsored activity is a CME activity that originates within the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (the accredited provider). A jointly sponsored activity originates with or is developed by another non-ACCME accredited organization or institution. In the case of jointly sponsored activities, the accredited provider is responsible for ensuring that the CME program adheres to ACCME and AMA requirements. We expect our joint sponsors to be familiar with these requirements.

How do you deal with educational activity supporters such as drug and device companies?

We are happy to collaborate with outside organizations that seek to support CME programs, either by direct unrestricted educational grants or by purchasing advertising or exhibits. We have developed standard Letters of Agreement that we can accept. It is essential to separate commercial messages from physician education and we have developed guidelines for commercial support to ensure this separation. All CME planners should be familiar with these policies.

How do you deal with educational supporters that are not commercial interests?

This can be a confusing area. Organizations that provide clinical services directly to patients, including diagnostics, are not commercial interests. Nor are organizations that provide non-health care goods and services, such as publishers and consumer trade organizations. Thus, they are not subject to our guidelines for commercial support, and we do not need to sign your Letters of Agreement. Likewise, commercial entities that provide support for the general benefit of your organization, but not directly for a specific educational activity, are not subject to these policies. But we encourage full disclosure of any outside support you receive that may be related to your educational activity. If you have questions about how to manage outside financial support, you must share these questions with us before the activity occurs.

Why do I need to supply practice gap, needs assessment, and learning objective information?

These are ACCME requirements. The ACCME requires that accredited providers: a) use needs assessment data to plan CME activities, b) incorporate into CME activities the educational needs (knowledge, competence, or performance) that underlie the professional practice gaps of their own learners, and c) communicate the purpose or objectives of the activity so the learner is informed before participating in the activity. If you are new to the CME process, or you have a question about how to develop needs, gaps, and objectives for large meetings or regularly scheduled series (RSS), please contact the UTHSC CME office for information.

What information will I need to send to you to receive CME approval?

We will need the following information to begin the review process of your CME activity:

1. A completed CME credit application
2. A completed planner form for both the Activity Medical Director and Activity Coordinator, as well as anyone else who is significantly involved in planning the activity.
3. An agenda that lists the presentation topics, speakers, and length of time for each presentation, as well as question and answer sessions, panel discussions, or other learning activities.
4. At least one week prior to the activity, a completed speaker form that discloses any conflicts of interest and list the learning objectives for the speaker’s presentation should be sent to the CME office.

How long after my activity do I have to provide the UTHSC CME office with closeout documentation and what information is required?

The following documentation is required to closeout either a live activity or a regularly scheduled series (RSS):

1. A completed closeout form
2. Electronic name list of learners that accurately reflects all learners in attendance and is separated by physician (MD or DO) and other learners (allied healthcare professionals, students, etc.).
3. Completed credit declaration forms (if applicable) for learners to declare the amount of CME credit they wish to claim (up to the maximum amount allowable for your event). If an attendee at a live activity fails to turn in his/her credit request form, the CME office cannot issue a CME certificate to that person.
4. Summary of evaluations

You must report this data no longer than thirty (30) days following the completion date of a live CME meeting or conference.

How long do you keep your records?

We keep all CME sponsorship records for the current ACCME accreditation period or one (1) year, whichever is longer. This can be up to six (6) years. We keep all physician CME records for six (6) years.

How long after I submit closeout documentation to the Office of CME does it take for me to receive the certificates of participation for my learners?

We will have the certificates available to you to distribute to your learners within thirty (30) days of receiving your closeout materials.