Eligibility
Eligibility for OSMA Accreditation (97-03-A)
Institutions and organizations eligible for continuing medical education accreditation are generally defined as hospitals, county medical societies, state or local specialty societies, voluntary health organizations, state agencies, other entities which provide CME activities on a regular or recurring basis, and formal consortia of the above institutions/organizations.
The OSMA Focused Task Force on Accreditation reserves the right to exercise judgment in assessing accreditation eligibility. Applicants will be closely examined for compliance with the Essential Areas, Elements & Policies of CME. Continuing medical education activities shall be distinguished from activities which appear primarily intended to advertise a product, name or service.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for consideration of accreditation by the Ohio State Medical Association, institutions/organizations must meet the following criteria:
- Offer a program of continuing medical education primarily targeted to physicians licensed and practicing in the State of Ohio or contiguous states;
- Be located within the State of Ohio or contiguous states;
- Demonstrate an overall organizational commitment to the continuing medical education program, including budget support, staffing and record-keeping resources;
- Demonstrate the capacity to substantially comply with the OSMA Essential Areas, Elements & Policies of CME; and
- Offer a formal, planned program of continuing medical education that includes at least one or more organized educational offerings per year.
Separate Accreditations Within a Single Institution/Organization
A single provider of continuing medical education may not maintain accreditation by the Ohio State Medical Association and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) at the same time. (It is recognized that short periods of overlap may occur when a provider transitions from one accreditation system to the other and continues to be listed as Aaccredited@ by both accrediting bodies.)
When an intrastate provider accredited by the OSMA seeks and achieves accreditation from the ACCME, that provider should promptly notify the OSMA, in writing, and ask to be deleted from its list of intrastate accredited providers of CME.
Eligibility to Apply for Accreditation (00-03-C)
An organization is not eligible to apply for accreditation if, in the judgment of the OSMA, its program is devoted to advocacy of unscientific modalities of diagnosis or therapy.
(ACCME 81-C-05)
Definition of an Organization Eligible for Accreditation (00-03-D)
The OSMA, in an attempt to foster continuing medical education of high quality at reasonable cost, available to all physicians in Ohio and bordering states, specifies the following criteria of eligibility for accreditation: Institutions and organizations providing continuing medical education on a regular and recurring basis and serving registrants, less than 30% of whom are from beyond Ohio and bordering states.
Institutions and organizations that serve more than 30% of registrants from beyond Ohio and bordering states, should seek accreditation directly from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.
To be eligible for accreditation, a provider must offer a program of continuing professional education for physicians. An organization is not eligible to apply for accreditation if its program is devoted solely to advocacy of a modality of diagnosis or treatment which is not a subject for instruction in most medical schools whose programs of medical education are accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. The OSMA reserves the right to make decisions on eligibility for accreditation.
(ACCME 82-B-04)