'2-for-1' EB CME to Sunset in 2011
By Barbara Bein
5/15/2009
Physician-learners, take note: The AAFP will end its award of "2-for-1" credit for its evidence-based CME, or EB CME, on Jan. 1, 2011. Meanwhile, the Academy is continuing to explore new opportunities for members to earn credits to meet continuing education requirements as part of its ongoing commitment to evidence-based education.
Although eligible activities will no longer receive 2-for-1 credit after Jan. 1, 2011, members can still report 2-for-1 credit for EB CME activities that were accredited before that date.
The policy change to phase out the double credit for EB CME was recommended by the AAFP Commission on Continuing Professional Development, or COCPD, and approved by the AAFP Board of Directors on April 20.
COCPD Chair Mark Stephens, M.D., of Bethesda, Md., said the AAFP has led efforts to promote the importance of EB CME since 2005, when the Academy first established 2-for-1 credit for this type of CME as an incentive to increase the use of literature and research evidence in physicians' educational activities.
That process began when the Academy developed criteria for categorizing the clinical content of CME in 2002 as a way to incorporate the principles of evidence-based medicine and improve medical practice and patient outcomes.
Now, said Stephens, the evidence-based approach is the norm, rather than the exception. As a result, AAFP CME credit should be awarded according to the industry standard.
Victoria Kaprielian, M.D., of Durham, N.C., chair of the COCPD Subcommittee on Clinical Content and Accreditation, agreed, saying that the system has worked so well that now all independent, certified CME is expected to be based on evidence.
"By 'sunsetting' 2-for-1 credit, the AAFP accreditation system will more closely align with the other accrediting organizations," she said.
Although the double credit will end, the Academy remains committed to incorporating the most current evidence into the content and design of its accredited CME activities. The COCPD is working with AAFP chapters and other CME providers to develop new models for members to earn additional CME credits, based on evidence of effectiveness in educational programming.
The policy change to phase out the double credit for EB CME was recommended by the AAFP Commission on Continuing Professional Development, or COCPD, and approved by the AAFP Board of Directors on April 20.
COCPD Chair Mark Stephens, M.D., of Bethesda, Md., said the AAFP has led efforts to promote the importance of EB CME since 2005, when the Academy first established 2-for-1 credit for this type of CME as an incentive to increase the use of literature and research evidence in physicians' educational activities.
That process began when the Academy developed criteria for categorizing the clinical content of CME in 2002 as a way to incorporate the principles of evidence-based medicine and improve medical practice and patient outcomes.
Now, said Stephens, the evidence-based approach is the norm, rather than the exception. As a result, AAFP CME credit should be awarded according to the industry standard.
Victoria Kaprielian, M.D., of Durham, N.C., chair of the COCPD Subcommittee on Clinical Content and Accreditation, agreed, saying that the system has worked so well that now all independent, certified CME is expected to be based on evidence.
"By 'sunsetting' 2-for-1 credit, the AAFP accreditation system will more closely align with the other accrediting organizations," she said.
Although the double credit will end, the Academy remains committed to incorporating the most current evidence into the content and design of its accredited CME activities. The COCPD is working with AAFP chapters and other CME providers to develop new models for members to earn additional CME credits, based on evidence of effectiveness in educational programming.
