AAFP Credit System Policies

The following policies apply to CME providers who submit an application for AAFP credit.

Organizational Eligibility Policy
Confidentiality Statement
Activity Delivery
Audits
Suspension Policy
Probation Policy

Organizational Eligibility Policy

The Credit System’s Organization Eligibility Policy requires transparency from CME provider organizations to establish and maintain organizational eligibility. Under this policy:

New CME provider organizations that do not have an existing AAFP Credit System organization account must fill out and submit a New Provider Account form, provide evidence of ability to comply with AAFP Credit System requirements, and pay a one-time, non-refundable fee for AAFP to determine organizational eligibility. CME providers will be notified of eligibility within 10 business days and, if applicable, be provided with account information and resources.
All CME provider organizations are required to notify the AAFP Credit System of organizational changes, including but not limited to changes to their corporate structure, name, address, and mergers and acquisitions. If the new organization does not have an existing AAFP Credit System account, a New Provider Account form should be submitted as outlined above.

Confidentiality Statement

The AAFP Credit System will maintain the confidentiality of CME provider organization information and will use and/or disclose it for the following purposes only:

Activity certification and audit processes
Facilitate CME reporting to regulatory authorities, specialty boards and other appropriate third parties (subject to confidentiality obligations being in place)
De-identify and aggregate it with other de-identified CME providers’ information to share newsworthy data from time to time, e.g., annual reports on topic submissions
As required by legal process
Otherwise with the provider’s written permission

In addition, the AAFP reserves the right to use any information that is or may become publicly available.

Activity Delivery

CME providers must conduct CME activities in a professional and businesslike manner.

The AAFP reserves the right to deny CME credit if a CME provider's business practices interfere with the delivery of a quality CME learning experience or contradict the AAFP’s stance on a given procedure or practice.

Beyond failure to meet the eligibility criteria, reasons the AAFP may choose to deny CME credit include, but are not limited to:

Portrayal of incorrect, inadequate, inappropriate, commercially biased, or incomplete clinical, scientific, medical/legal, or socioeconomic information.
Unethical distribution of material, such as offering the material as a prize or bonus for favors, inappropriate advertising that misrepresents or inaccurately portrays the material, or misrepresentation of the CME credit that may be acquired by using the materials.
Release of confidential information regarding any learners’ participation in the activity or use of the material.

Audits

The AAFP is committed to ensuring that appropriate quality CME is available to the nation's family physicians. To ensure compliance with current CME regulations, the AAFP reserves the right to monitor any activity that has been awarded AAFP credit. In addition to investigating complaints and questionable applications, the AAFP randomly selects activity applications for routine educational audits. Check out more information on audits.

Suspension Policy

The Credit System’s suspension policy is intended to address repeated non-compliance with Credit System eligibility requirements, including the ACCME Standards. CME provider organizations may be placed on suspension in any of the following circumstances:

A CME provider has more than one non-compliant activity audit in a 24-month period,
The COCPD deems a non-compliant audit finding to be an egregious violation of requirements and/or dangerous to learners,
During a probation review, the CME provider is found to be non-compliant with probation or eligibility requirements.

While on suspension, the CME provider may not modify existing applications or submit new credit applications. Any activities with an active credit term will remain active until they expire unless the CME provider organization is otherwise notified. No fees are charged when a CME provider is on suspension.

Suspension lasts two years. At the end of the suspension, the CME provider must go through a probation review process to become fully reinstated to apply for AAFP CME credit.

Probation Policy

At the end of a suspension, a CME provider must go through a probation review prior to being fully reinstated to apply for AAFP CME credit.

To begin the probation process the CME provider must submit the following to cmecredit@aafp.org for preliminary review:

A request to begin the probation process.
Payment of the probation fee and agreement to comply with the probation fee structure.
A sample activity, including associated materials, to demonstrate the CME provider has appropriate processes and procedures in place to comply with all AAFP requirements, including the ACCME Standards, with an emphasis on previous areas of non-compliance.

Once payment is received, staff will review the probation request.

If the sample activity materials are deemed non-compliant, the suspension will remain in place until compliant sample materials are received.

If the sample activity materials are deemed compliant, the probation review will be initiated, and the CME provider will regain access to their account and will be permitted to submit new credit applications. Each application submitted during the probation process will undergo a full content review by an AAFP Credit System physician reviewer, so all content and materials must be provided at the time of application submission. Please see the fees page for applicable fees.

The CME provider must have two successive credit applications reviewed and approved by AAFP during the probation process to be taken off probation and fully reinstated.

Questions?

Contact AAFP Credit System
cmecredit@aafp.org
(800) 274-2237