Upon receipt of verbal or written agreement to support an Academy program or project, it is proper protocol to acknowledge this support with a thank you letter from the staff person responsible for implementing the program or project. Copies should be sent to the AAFP Director of Corporate Development. A second thank you letter will be issued by the Corporate Development Department. Copies of this letter should also be sent to the staff person responsible for the program or project.
A signed letter of agreement between the commercial supporter and the appropriate AAFP staff person must document the terms, conditions, and purposes of such grants, with input from legal counsel, unless a formal proposal was submitted with the official request for support that documented the terms, conditions and purposes of the commercial support.
The written agreement confirming commercial support for CME programming will specify that the supporting company and the AAFP agree by authorized signatures, for all intents and purposes related to the CME activity(s) supported by the educational grant and/or in-kind support documented in the agreement, to abide by the following: AAFP Conditions; ACCME Standards for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education; and, AMA CEJA Gifts to Physicians from Industry Opinion E-8.061.
Following completion of the program or project, or at the end of a fiscal or calendar year period of a multiple year grant, a letter of appreciation should be sent to the commercial supporter along with a report that contains a summary of the year's activities, attendance and/or participation figures (not to include participant lists), evaluation summaries, etc. Samples are available for reference in the Foundation's Professional and Corporate Affairs Division. Upon request, the AAFP staff person should be prepared to report to each commercial supporter, and other relevant parties, information concerning the expenditure of funds each has provided. Likewise, commercial supporters should be prepared to report to the AAFP information concerning their expenditures in support of the activity.
