CME Code of Conduct

CME Code of Conduct 

Member companies of the CME Coalition and institutions of the CME Coalition pledge to both support and provide the highest standards of continuing education for healthcare professionals in the best interest of patients. In adhering to these standards, the members of the CME Coalition promise to live up to the commitments and proper practices manifest in the following CME Coalition Code of Conduct. 

1. Decisions concerning CME activity design and content, and decisions related to the support of CME, will always be made in the best interests of improving patient care and addressing public health needs. 
2. CME content will always be evidence-based and free of inappropriate influence.
3. CME activities will be designed to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skill, and professional performance of a clinician in the provision of the highest quality services for patients, the public at-large and the medical profession.
4. CME providers and supporters are committed to furthering the appropriate advancement and adoption of innovative technologies, treatments and procedures through state-of-the-art educational programming. 
5. CME providers and supporters are committed to educating the public as to the vital role of continuing medical education to our health care system. 
6. CME providers must be transparent in disclosing the financial supporters of their programs, as well as the financial interest of any faculty or provider before the learner engages in the CME activity. 
7. All CME activities must fall within the medical education certification bodies and public regulatory guidelines and policies that are designed to ensure independent performance and behavior. 
8. CME providers must manage and disclose financial interest, defined as “when a planner, speaker or author both has a current financial relationship with a commercial interest and the opportunity to affect content relevant to products or services of that commercial interest” as defined by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for Commercial Support. 
9. CME providers and supporters agree to abide by the conduct standards set by all appropriate accrediting bodies. 
10.  CME providers and supporters must agree to adhere to the compliance guidelines and codes of conduct governing the interactions of drug and  device manufacturers with healthcare professionals as promulgated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and the Advanced Medical Technology Association.