Joint Providership Program Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is Joint Providership?

Joint providership is when two organizations, one an accredited continuing medical education (CME) provider and one not accredited, collaborate to plan, implement and evaluate an activity approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. The Florida Medical Association (FMA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and is responsible for ensuring compliance with the ACCME Accreditation Criteria and Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, and policies. The American Medical Association (AMA) and other member organizations have authorized the ACCME to set the standards for accreditation and monitor the integrity of organizations accredited to provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ in the United States.

2. What is AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM

Continuing medical education refers to the life-long body of education that a physician completes after medical school and residency to maintain competency. AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is one primary type of credit that physicians licensed in Florida must complete to maintain their medical license and their specialty certification.

CME consists of educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services to patients, the public or the profession. The content of CME is the body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine and the provision of health care to the public. (HOD policy #300.988) (Physician’s Recognition Award and Credit System 2017 Revision)

When physicians participate in continuing education activities that are not directly related to their professional work, these do not fall within the ACCME definition of CME content. Although they may be worthwhile for physicians, continuing education activities related to a physician's nonprofessional educational needs or interests, such as personal financial planning or appreciation of literature or music, are not considered CME content by the ACCME. (ACCME CME Content)

The FMA Committee on CME & Accreditation accepts joint providership applications from the following organizations:

• County medical societies
• Florida state specialty societies
• Community hospitals and clinics in Florida
• Physician groups and other relevant healthcare foundations and non-profits in Florida

Organizations NOT eligible for joint providership with the FMA include the following:

• National and international organizations
• Groups other than specialty societies seeking more than 15 CME credits for a single meeting
• Groups who wish to publish enduring materials (such as videotapes, online courses, or journal-based CME)
• Organizations hosting events at which some or all learners participate via telephone or web conference
• Groups planning CME activities to be held on a cruise ship or outside the state of Florida

If your group is not eligible for Joint Providership with the FMA, you might consider contacting one of the following:

• Orlando Regional Healthcare System, 407.841.5284
• University of South Florida CME Department, 813.974.4953
• The Medical Educator Consortium Inc., 305.525.7246
• University of Miami Division of CME, 305.243.6716
• PRIME Education, Inc., 954.718.6055, Ext 33
• Medical Education Council of Pensacola: 850.477.4956

4. What do I have to do to get CME credit for my meeting?

1. Submit the JP Application, all planner and speaker disclosure statements, content outlines or objectives for each presentation, and an agenda/schedule of the meeting 60 days prior to the activity.
2. FMA Education Department staff reviews the materials and requests revisions as needed.
3. When conflicts of interest are identified, FMA staff will request the speaker's PowerPoint
4. An FMA CME Committee member or designee evaluates the materials and makes a recommendation to:
   1) approve, 2) approve pending specific changes, or 3) deny CME credit
5. Submit supporting documents: promotional materials, evaluation form, and sample certificates
6. FMA staff advises the applicant of the decision; further action is taken as necessary.

5. How do I advertise my activity?

The FMA Education Department must review and approve all promotional materials prior to distribution.

Promotional items must include the following components:

1. Identification of the FMA as the provider of CME credit including the FMA logo
2. Target audience
3. Educational objectives, statement of gap or educational opportunity
4. Planner(s)' disclosure of relevant financial relationships or absence of relationships
5. Planners should be listed individually if any relevant financial relationships exist. A collective statement may be used when none of the planners disclose relevant relationships, such as: None of the planners for this educational activity have relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients..
6. Speaker(s)' name(s) and disclosure of relevant financial relationships or absence of relationships
   Dr. Jones, faculty for this educational activity, disclosed that she is on the speakers Bureau of ABC Pharmaceuticals
   OR
   Dr. Smith disclosed no financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
   Faculty must be listed individually with their relevant relationships or the absence of such relationships
7. Accreditation and Designation Statement
8. Acknowledgement of commercial support (if applicable)

Activities may not be advertised as approved for CME credit until approval is received from the FMA Education Department. Phrases like "CME credit pending" or "credit applied for" may not be used. For meetings planned more than three months in advance, save-the-date notices may be sent.

• Save-the-Date flyers may include: date, place, contact person, hotel info, etc.
• Save-the-Date flyers may not include: the number of CME credits or Accreditation Statement

6. What's a typical timeline?

The application and supporting documents must be received 60 days prior to the proposed activity date.

• Joint Providership Application, all planners' and speakers' disclosure statements, content outline of each presentation, an agenda or schedule, and fee received by FMA
• Application fee is billed when the application is received. (NOTE: The fee cannot be refunded if the event is cancelled and cannot be rescheduled within the calendar year or if the Joint Providership application is withdrawn by the applicant after approval is granted.)
• Staff review, revisions requested as needed, forwarded to CME Committee member
• 10 working days allowed for Committee member review and evaluation of materials

• Committee member recommendation received by FMA; final documentation review
• Applicant receives approval, brochures may be sent to target audience

• Follow-up materials received by the FMA

On a case-by-case basis, applications may be accepted after the 60-day deadline. Additional fees will be assessed. Late applications do not allow sufficient time for review, resolution of relevant financial relationships, and revision. We will do our best to expedite all applications while remaining within the parameters of the ACCME Criteria, the Standards, and FMA Joint Providership Policies & Procedures. If the process cannot be completed in time, the application fee cannot be refunded.

7. Can I get credit for my weekly, monthly or quarterly case conferences (e.g. Tumor Board)?

These types of activities (called RSS – Regularly Scheduled Series) may be eligible for joint providership if they are 1) planned by and presented to the organization's professional staff, 2) have a standard set of objectives, and 3) a singular focus. Each session must comply with all applicable ACCME Criteria, Standards, and policies. All meeting dates, disclosure statements from potential presenters, and a sample agenda are required in advance. New applications are required each year, even if the components and documentation remain the same. The 60-day deadline applies.

8. What are my responsibilities after the meeting?

Each Joint Providership partner is responsible for providing follow-up materials 10 days after each meeting. This includes: 1) Attendance and Credits data on the standard spreadsheet provided; 2) Evaluation Summary Report; 3) Budget Report; and 4) Set of handouts as distributed at the meeting. Follow-up materials are required immediately after each session of Regularly Scheduled Series activities. Joint providership partners must maintain planning and attendance data files for six years after each meeting.

9. Can I apply for credit after the meeting?

No, AMA policy prohibits retroactive approval of activities.

10. How much does Joint Providership cost?

The Joint Providership application fees are based on how many CME credits are offered and when the complete application is received. Organizations receive the lowest fee by sending all of the Phase I materials sixty days in advance of the meeting. Phase I materials include: 1) JP Application); 2) Disclosure Statements from all planner(s) and all speaker(s); 3) a summary or short description of each talk; and 4) an agenda or schedule. Payment is expected with the application, joint providership fees are non-refundable.