Planners

The accredited provider must not share the names or contact information of learners with any ineligible company or its agents without the explicit consent of the individual learner.

The Center for CPD currently accredits live activities and enduring material as described below:  

Live Activity: An activity that occurs at a specific time as scheduled by the accredited CME provider. Participation may be in person or remotely, as is the case of teleconferences or live internet webinars. (Examples: Live Courses – Individual includes In-person, Virtual Live Streamed, Hybrid (In-person and virtual live-streamed), Regularly Scheduled Series (RSS), and Longitudinal Courses.) 

Enduring Material: An activity that endures over a specified time and does not have a specific time or location designated for participation; rather, the participant determines whether and when to complete the activity. (Examples: online interactive educational module, recorded presentation, podcast.)

All activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ by an accredited CME provider must meet all requirements for the above learning formats as well as the AMA’s core requirements for all activity formats.  

We anticipate expanding our education portfolios to include Performance Improvement-CME (PI-CME) and learning from teaching. 

The fees for accreditation and other Center for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) services are determined based on various factors. Once the consultation request is submitted, a team member will schedule a consultation to understand the need to execute the educational intervention fully. Our fees will be provided before engaging in services outlined in the agreement.

No. All AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for UCLA must be accredited through the Dave Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA’s Center for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD). 

Live Course/Series: Credit for a live activity is determined by measuring formal interaction time between faculty and the physicians’ audience; 60 minutes equals one (1) AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™; credit is designated in 15-minute or 0.25 credit increments and rounded to the nearest quarter hour. 

Physicians claim the credit based on participation time, rounded to the nearest quarter hour; this is the number of credits awarded. 

Enduring Material: Credit is designated based on the average time it would take a small sample group of the target audience to complete the material. The CCPD will utilize a mechanism to establish credit if the result is the same. Credit is designated in 15-minute or 0.25 credit increments and rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Physicians who successfully complete the activity are awarded the number of credits for which the activity is designated. 

The CCPD does assist with accrediting educational interventions for the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) for participating boards. Additionally, when available, we will report accredited courses and participants directly to the participating specialty boards.  

The team will provide the fees associated with the designation after the initial consultation. 

David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. While many boards may accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for other healthcare professionals, we would defer to those professionals to know the requirements and acceptable courses for maintaining the board certification and licenses.  

The Center for CPD can facilitate the application process for credit designations for the target learners' healthcare professionals. 

Each accrediting entity has different timelines, requirements, and fees. Notify our team during your consultation of the intent to apply for other credit designations.  

A course director/chair must be a UCLA Faculty with at least a part-time appointment and have decision-making ability. This individual assumes full responsibility for ensuring compliance with the ACCME, AMA, and University Policies.

The course chair/director is responsible for planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the educational intervention. The CCPD will support facilitation. The accredited provider must not share the names or contact information of learners with any ineligible company or its agents without the explicit consent of the individual learner.

All individuals in a position to influence the planning, designing, delivery, evaluating, and analyzing education interventions are required to disclose the presence or absence of relationships with ineligible companies, regardless of their profession or career status, including students, residents, fellows, other healthcare workers, community partners, patients, etc.

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), our accrediting body, defines ineligible companies as companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Disclosure forms must be completed and submitted before the individual engages in their role(s). For example, a planner must submit their disclosure before planning the educational intervention.  

All of the following must be disclosed. The CCPD team will determine, along with the course director or designee, if the relationship is a relevant financial relationship. 

• identify all individuals in a position to influence the content 

• obtain the list of all relationships with ineligible companies and the nature of the relationship within the past 24 months 

• develop and implement mitigation strategies 

• disclose the absence or presence of relevant financial relationships to the learners 

By identifying, mitigating, and disclosing relevant financial relationships, we can create a protected space to learn, teach, and engage in scientific discourse free from influence from organizations that may be incentivized to insert commercial bias into education. 

If a relationship with an ineligible organization has changed, including but not limited to starting a new relationship, ending a relationship, and the nature of the relationship changes, update your Electronic Disclosure Form as soon as possible. 

Disclosures of relationships with ineligible companies does not automatically disqualify them from contributing to the activity. Once the disclosure form has been completed, if a relationship has been disclosed, the CCPD team will determine if the relationship is relevant and develop a mitigation plan if the relationship can be mitigated. If the relationship cannot be mitigated, the individual must be recused from the role, or the activity may not be accredited.  

The owners and employees of ineligible companies are considered to have unresolvable financial relationships and must be excluded from participating as planners or faculty, and must not be allowed to influence or control any aspect of the planning, delivery, or evaluation of accredited continuing education, except in the limited circumstances outlined in Standard 3.2. 

Owners and employees are individuals who have a legal duty to act in the company's best interests. Owners are defined as individuals who have an ownership interest in a company, except for stockholders of publicly traded companies, or holders of shares through a pension or mutual fund. Employees are defined as individuals hired to work for another person or business (the employer) for compensation and who are subject to the employer's direction as to the details of how to perform the job. 

An individual who holds stock options in an ineligible company is not considered an owner or employee of that ineligible company.  Disclosure of stock options would follow the review and mitigation expectations as other relationships.

No. To ensure compliance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence, all commercial support is procured by the CCPD team for accredited education.

Yes. All educational material must be reviewed to ensure it meets the Clinical Content Validation Expectations. Additionally, the material should be reviewed to ensure the faculty/presenter has created content that addresses the practice gap(s) and desired outcome. 

A Peer Review Form must be completed by a chair/director or reviewer designee with a disclosure form on file without any relevant financial relationships. This form must be completed and approved before the content is delivered. 

Content is considered anything presented or displayed to the learners as a part of the educational intervention, including pre-work, during, and post-intervention material. 

Integrating patients into the planning and delivery of educational interventions provides diverse perspectives and often enhances the quality of education by sharing the patient’s perspective or experiences. Patients are required to comply with the same expectations as other faculty speakers/presenters, including completing disclosure forms. Additionally, patients will be required to complete the UCLA Patient Release form. 

No. Activity marketing or advertising material may never indicate that “AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ has been applied for” or any similar wording. 

A “Save the date” announcement (such as a postal mailer with limited space) may indicate that the activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ without stating an exact number of credits if the accredited CME provider has already certified the activity. This announcement may read, “This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™” or similar language.  

The Center for CPD must review and approve all marketing pieces before distribution to ensure it meets branding, accreditation, and UCLA standards. 

Yes. The AMA Credit Designation Statement must be used in any program materials that reference CME credit in print and electronic formats (e.g., a course syllabus, enduring material publication, or an internet activity landing page). 

Activity announcements include all materials, in both print and electronic formats, that are designed to build awareness of the activity’s educational content among the target physician audience. The complete AMA Credit Designation Statement must always be used on any document or publication that references the number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ designated for the activity. 

The Center for CPD partners with the activity partners on designing and developing marketing material. We welcome insight on creative direction/inspiration. To ensure compliance with accreditation standards, brand, and UCLA policies, the final approval will be provided by the Center for CPD.

The Center for CPD does not share the list of participants and retains this information within our office. 

Clinical Content Validation Expectations (PDF Version) 

As an accredited provider, we are responsible for ensuring that our accredited education is fair and balanced and that any clinical content presented supports safe, effective patient care.

All content must be reviewed in advance of the session by a designee with no conflicts of interest to ensure that:

• recommendations for patient care are based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning, while giving a fair and balanced view of diagnostic and therapeutic options. [Standards for Integrity and Independence 1.1]
• scientific research referred to, reported or used in this educational activity in support or justification of a patient care recommendation conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. [Standards for Integrity and Independence 1.2]
• new and evolving topics for which there is a lower (or absent) evidence base, clearly identified as such within the education and individual presentations. [Standards for Integrity and Independence 1.3]
• it does not advocate for, or promote, practices that are not, or not yet, adequately based on current science, evidence, and clinical reasoning. [Standards for Integrity and Independence 1.3]
• it excludes any advocacy for, or promotion of, unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or recommendations, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that is determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients. [Standards for Integrity and Independence 1.4]
• the content promotes improvement in health care and not the proprietary interest of a commercial interest (ineligible company). [Standards for Integrity and Independence 5.1]
• therapeutic views must give a balanced view, usage of generic names, if trade names must be used, several companies must be used. [Standards for Integrity and Independence 5.2]
• the content includes references.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Center for CPD’s course lead or our team at UCLACCPD@mednet.ucla.edu.

Copyright Law (PDF Version) 

Listed below are guidelines to provide directions on photocopying copyrighted materials for teaching. Under the "fair use" provision of the Copyright Act of 1976, you are permitted to photocopy and distribute portions of copyrighted works for educational use without securing permission from the owner or paying royalties. The law in this area is quite general, however, the conditions listed below must be met. 

Teachers may reproduce copyrighted works for classroom use under the following University of California guidelines determining "fair use": 

• One copy for a teacher may be made of a book chapter; an article from a periodical or newspaper; a short story, short essay, or short poem; a chart, diagram, cartoon, or picture from a book, periodical, or newspaper. 
• One copy per student in the course may be made by or for the instructor if it meets the tests of: 
  • Brevity: a complete poem of fewer than 250 words or an excerpt of not more than 250 words from a longer poem; either a complete piece of less than 2500words or an excerpt of not more than 2500 words from any prose work; one chart, diagram, drawing, cartoon, or picture per book or per periodical issue. 
  • Spontaneity: the instructor may make such copies if there is insufficient time to contact the copyright holder for permission under the circumstances. 
  • Cumulative Effect: except for news periodicals or newspapers, multiple copying can only be done 9 times during a class term. 
• Consumable material such as test sheets, answer booklets, and workbooks may not be copied. 
• Copying is not permitted to create anthologies or similar collections of material from a variety of copyrighted works. 

If the material in question does not meet these tests, there is another way to legally reproduce copyrighted materials: by obtaining permission from the copyright holder. In most cases, a letter to the copyright holder is necessary. In the letter, the instructor should include the title, author, and edition of the materials, the number of copies to be made, the page numbers to be reproduced, the intended use of the material, the method of distribution (classroom, etc.), whether the material is to be sold, and the method of reprinting (ditto, photocopy, etc.). 

Additionally, the following guidelines define unrestricted works: 

• Anyone may reproduce without restriction works that entered the public domain. Any work published in the U.S. before January 1, 1978, entered the public domain if it was published without a copyright notice. 
• Anyone may reproduce without constraint published works whose copyrights have expired. All U.S. copyrights dated earlier than 75 years ago have expired. Copyrights dated after 75 years ago may also have expired if they have not been renewed because the initial period of copyright protection prior to 1978 was 28 years. 
• U.S. Government Publications may be reproduced freely because they are not copyrightable. 

Off-Air Recordings 

Unless used within ten days of recording, it is recommended that instructors who wish to videotape excerpts of off-air broadcasts for use in the classroom, contact the program producer. 

California state AB 1195 and AB 241 were both designed to “encourage physicians and surgeons to meet the cultural and linguistic concerns” of California’s diverse patient population. AB 1195, which became law in 2005, required CME to include content referable to cultural and linguistic competency, and AB 241, which became law in 2021, requires CME to include instruction in the understanding of implicit bias.

Although our CME office was able to satisfy AB 1195 requirements in its sponsored activities by including a handout listing and discussing major national and state legislation pertaining to the specified content, in 2020, the California Medical Association, in partnership with the ACCME, developed more rigid standards designed to encourage course chairs, planning committee members, and course faculty to consider the legislative intent of these two assembly bills when planning, developing and presenting content for CME activities, effective January 1, 2022.

As required by the new standards, included in this chair/planning committee/speaker packet, are the following materials:

• Definitions of cultural and linguistic competencies (CLC) and implicit bias (IB)
• Links to CLC and IB resources which you will find of value
• Resources that highlight racial disparities referable to the patient population served by the physicians towards whom the CME activity is directed and which offer reflection and actionable items designed to help mitigate the cultural and linguistic factors and implicit bias which perpetuates them

In your role as the course chair, you are obligated to reflect on healthcare disparities in the patient populations impacted by your CME program and, as appropriate, include content that helps address cultural, linguistic, and implicit bias factors which potentially cause or contributes to the disparities. In addition, as the course chair, you are strongly encouraged to include diverse planners, faculty and/or patient representatives in the activity planning process, where appropriate.

Cultural and Linguistic Competency (CLC)

The ability and readiness of health care providers and organizations to humbly and respectfully demonstrate, effectively communicate, and tailor delivery of care to patients with diverse values, beliefs, identities and behaviors, in order to meet social, cultural and linguistic needs as they relate to patient health.

Implicit Bias (IB)

The attitudes, stereotypes and feelings, either positive or negative, that affect our understanding, actions and decisions without conscious knowledge or control. Implicit bias is a universal phenomenon. When negative, implicit bias often contributes to unequal treatment and disparities in diagnosis, treatment decisions, levels of care and health care outcomes of people based on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability and other characteristics.

Diversity

Having many different forms, types, or ideas; shows variety. Demographic diversity can mean a group composed of people of different genders, races/ethnicities, cultures, religions, physical abilities, sexual orientations or preferences, ages, etc.

Resources I Cultural & Linguistic Competency & Implicit Bias  

• Adverse Childhood Experiences: Tips to Help You Support Inclusivity and Equity
• Beyond Health Care
• Culturally Competent Healthcare Research
• Culture and the Patient-Physician Relationship: Achieving Cultural Competency in Healthcare
• Enhance Patient Care Through Better Cultural Awareness
• Implicit Stereotyping and Medical Decisions
• Physician, Know Thyself: The Professional Culture of Medicine as a Framework for Teaching Cultural Competence
• Systemic Racism and U.S.  Health Care
• The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity
• Unconscious Bias Training That Works

Resources I Patient Populations and Disparities

• Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity: The California Landscape
• JAMA Assessment of Mortality Disparities by Wealth Relative to Other Measures of Socioeconomic Status Among US Adults  
• JAMA: Trends in Differences in Health Status and Health Care Access and Affordability by Race and Ethnicity in the United States, 1999-2018
• Quality of Evidence Revealing Subtle Gender Biases in Science is in the Eye of the Beholder
• Systemic Racism and U.S. Health Care

Assembly Bills

• Assembly Bill No. 1195: Cultural and Linguistic Competency 
• Assembly Bill No. 241: Implicit Bias  

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Center for CPD’s course lead or our team at UCLACCPD@mednet.ucla.edu.  

Standard 5 applies only when there is marketing by ineligible companies or nonaccredited education is associated with accredited continuing education. 

The DGSOM CME Program is responsible for ensuring that education is separate from marketing by ineligible companies—including advertising, sales, exhibits, and promotion—and from nonaccredited education offered in conjunction with accredited continuing education. Companies that are ineligible to be accredited in the ACCME System (ineligible companies) are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. 

ACCME’s Examples of Ineligible Companies

• Advertising, marketing, or communication firms whose clients are ineligible companies
• Bio-medical startups that have begun a governmental regulatory approval process
• Compounding pharmacies that manufacture proprietary compounds
• Device manufacturers or distributors
• Diagnostic labs that sell proprietary products
• Growers, distributors, manufacturers or sellers of medical foods and dietary supplements
• Manufacturers of health-related wearable products
• Pharmaceutical companies or distributors
• Pharmacy benefit managers
• Reagent manufacturers or sellers

Guidelines & Expectations 

• Arrangements to allow ineligible companies to market or exhibit in association with accredited education must not: 
  • Influence any decisions related to the planning, delivery, and evaluation of the education. 
  •  Interfere with the presentation of the education. 
  • Be a condition of the provision of financial or in-kind support from ineligible companies for the education. 
• The accredited provider must ensure that learners can easily distinguish between accredited education and other activities. 
  • Live continuing education activities: Marketing, exhibits, and nonaccredited education developed by or with influence from an ineligible company or with planners or faculty with unmitigated financial relationships must not occur in the educational space within 30 minutes before or after an accredited educational activity. Activities that are part of the event but are not accredited for continuing education must be clearly labeled and communicated as such. 
  • Print, online, or digital continuing education activities: Learners must not be presented with marketing while engaged in the accredited education activity. Learners must be able to engage with the accredited education without having to click through, watch, listen to, or be presented with product promotions or product-specific advertisements. 
  • Educational materials that are part of accredited education (such as slides, abstracts, handouts, evaluation mechanisms, or disclosure information) must not contain any marketing produced by or for an ineligible company, including corporate or product logos, trade names, or product group messages. 
• Information distributed about accredited education that does not include educational content, such as schedules and logistical information, may include marketing by or for an ineligible company. 
• Ineligible companies may not provide access to, or distribute, accredited education to learners. 

Questions/Concerns: Contact Ericka Cunningham at elcunningham@mednet.ucla.edu or (310) 794-0445. 

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationship Expectations (PDF Version) 

We look forward to the opportunity to include you in our accredited continuing education activity.

Why am I receiving this communication?

The Center for Continuing Professional Development is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. We appreciate your help in partnering with us to follow accreditation guidelines and help us create high-quality education that is independent of industry influence. To participate as a person who will be able to control the educational content of this accredited CE activity, we ask that you disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies that you have had over the past 24 months.

We define ineligible companies as those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. There is no minimum financial threshold; you must disclose all financial relationships, regardless of the amount, with ineligible companies. We ask you to disclose regardless of whether you view the financial relationships as relevant to the education. For more information, visit Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. 

Why do we collect this information?

Since healthcare professionals serve as the trusted authorities when advising patients, they must protect their learning environment from industry influence to ensure they remain true to their ethical commitments. Many healthcare professionals have financial relationships with ineligible companies. By identifying and mitigating relevant financial relationships, we work together to create a protected space to learn, teach, and engage in scientific discourse free from influence from organizations that may have the incentive to insert commercial bias into education.

What are the next steps in this process?

After we receive your disclosure information, we will review it to determine whether your financial relationships are relevant to the education. Please note, that the identification of relevant financial relationships does not necessarily mean that you are unable to participate in the planning and implementation of this educational activity. Rather, the accreditation standards require that relevant financial relationships are mitigated before you assume your role in this activity. To help us meet these expectations, please use the form we have provided to share all financial relationships you have had with ineligible companies during the past 24 months. This information is necessary for us to be able to move to the next steps in planning this continuing education activity.

What if I have a change after submitting my disclosure form?

If you have any changes to your disclosure, you can:

• Submit an updated disclosure.
• Email our team at UCLACCPD@mednet.ucla.edu

Alternatively, you can notify our team If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the program manager for the activity.

• ACCME & SACME's CE Educator's Toolkit and WorkSheet Guide

• ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education

• AMA PRA Handbook (PDF)

• American Medical Association (AMA) PRA Credit System Requirements

• ELI Brief: Innovating with Purpose: The Blended Flow Toolkit for Designing Blended/Hybrid Courses

• Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation Coach  

• Seattle University Blended Flow Toolkit 

• Iowa State University – Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy 

• UCF Objective Builder 

UCLA CCPD templates and guides:

• Announcements (DOCX)
• Application  (DOCX)
• Attendees Roster (Zipped XSLX)
• COI Disclosure Slide (Zipped PPT)
• Faculty Communication (DOCX)
• Management Overview (PDF)
• Peer Review Form (DOCX)