Several states in the United States require physicians to complete a specified quota of continuing medical education (CME) credits annually to maintain their medical licenses. However, where they obtain these credits is up to them.  

If your institution would like to offer CME credits to practicing physicians, you’ll first need to learn the basics of creating CME courses and applying for CME accreditation.  

At the end of this guide, you will have a better understanding of how to apply for CME credits, how to become a CME provider, and how to create a CME course.  

What are CME Credits?  

CME consists of a wide variety of educational activities to help active, practicing physicians maintain, improve, or develop their skills, knowledge, performance, and relationships. Only after completing a CME course do physicians obtain a CME credit.  

Authorized by the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA), CME credits allow physicians to continue practicing, maintain their licenses, and keep their credentials.  

The AMA assigns CME credits based on two categories: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit and AMA PRA Category 2 Credit.  

Category 1  

Category 1 Credits are considered the most accepted CME credits. To obtain such credits, physicians must participate in activities that are sponsored and certified by U.S.-based CME providers. These providers are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Education (ACCME). 

If you want to provide CME credits to physicians, the best course of action is to apply as a provider for Category 1 CME credits.   

Category 2  

On the other hand, Category 2 Credits are awarded for courses or activities that are not explicitly certified by Category 1. As such, it’s the responsibility of the physician to self-document and self-claim the activity for the council to recognize them.  

CME Accreditation — How to Plan and Execute  

To apply for AMA PRA Category 1, please review the following requirements:  

Requirements for Eligibility 

Before submitting your application, you first need to know if you qualify for providing CME activities. According to the ACCME, all CME activities must serve to maintain, develop, or enhance the skills, knowledge, professional performance, and relationships of physicians, enabling them to provide their services to the public. 

 These are the criteria for eligibility as a CME credit provider:  

• The content of the course should be within the following categories: basic medical sciences, provision of public health care, or discipline of clinical medicine.  

• All activities included in the course must be explicitly designed to address practice gaps and fulfill the educational needs of physicians.  

• The activities must also promote healthcare improvements, as well as a balanced view of the different therapeutic options.  

• All activities must not be commercialized and must not be promoted to serve the proprietary interests of the business.  

• Anyone who demonstrates a commercial interest is not allowed to play any role in planning, developing, or implementing any CME activity unless they can prove that they will not present or control any content that promotes the products and services of their company. In addition, the only content they can present must revolve around the science of physiology, discovery, or methodology.  

Application Timeline  

If you meet the above criteria, you will next contact an AACC CME officer. They will explain where you can find the application documents and walk you through the process. 

Review all the forms and guidelines thoroughly so you can schedule the submission of your completed application within the 60-day deadline set before the activity’s start date. The council will not accept any late submissions.  

Applications must be sent to an assigned CME officer via email.  

For any questions or concerns, you can contact the CME officer directly by calling 1-800-892-1400 or sending an email to ldunay@aacc.org.  

Review Process  

It’s important to note that before you can promote your activity as a CME-accredited course in brochures or other announcements, you need to get approval from the council.  

The AACC CME Committee will review your application and determine whether your proposed activity meets the ACCME criteria for Category 1 credits.  

The whole process can take anywhere from four to five weeks after submitting your application. The assigned CME officer will inform you whether your application has been approved, approved conditionally, or rejected. If you receive conditional approval, the officer will request that you submit supplementary information to the committee within one week, allowing them to make their final decision.  

You’re Approved! 

Once you receive an approval notice, the CME officer will give you further instructions and provide you with the following information:  

• Accreditation language and the number of credits you need to insert into your program announcements, brochures, and course materials.  

• Guidelines on summarizing the disclosure information. This should be provided to every attendee before the activity begins.  

• Commercial support acknowledgment.  

• Administration of evaluation forms and certificates for applicants.  

Within 30 days after the activity, you must send these documents to your CME officer.  

• A copy of the course materials you distributed to your attendees.  

• The total number of attendees  

• A financial statement that documents the expenditure and receipts of any commercial support funds you received. 

(Ad box) There’s no doubt that applying for CME credits is tedious, time-consuming, and overwhelming. We have technological solutions that can help you manage the entire accreditation process on a single flexible platform.   

Budgeting and Fundraising Strategies  

Applying for a CME course is not cheap. You can expect to spend between $1,000 and $ 2,500 or more to promote your course. As such, developing a budget plan and implementing fundraising strategies to support your activity financially are crucial.  

One way to finance your application is to seek commercial support or an educational grant from a commercial organization. Private medical practices are open to providing educational grants, allowing you to promote your course and receive accreditation. If you’re tied to an institution, this step should be straightforward. But if not, you may need to scout for the right sponsor.  

What Makes a CME Course Valuable to Lifelong Learners?  

If you want to create a CME course that’s both effective and valuable, you need to incorporate the following elements into your program.  

• Reliable Information: All activities and information shared in your CME program should be based on updated clinical research from industry leaders. Always ensure that the data you provide is accurate and relevant for your participants for years to come.  

• Interactive Features: Discussions and lectures are provided for each course. To elevate your program to new heights, incorporate interactive features that engage participants. Some examples include gamification, breakout rooms, or polling that will captivate your audience and help them obtain knowledge more dynamically.  

• Virtual Opportunities: With hybrid learning on the rise, a strategic move as a CME provider is to adapt your course to open virtual opportunities for your audience. Remember, physicians and healthcare professionals have hectic schedules. Providing them with the chance to attend your course with just a phone, laptop, or desktop computer will put you at a competitive advantage.  

In-Demand Topics for Your Course  

When creating a CME course, it is essential to be aware of the topics that are currently in demand. This will help you target a larger number of participants and achieve greater success. At the time of this blog, some of the trending topics include:  

• Clinic and Hospital Management: This is best suited for clinicians whose main responsibility is to manage a medical facility. With this course, they will learn how to make sure that everything is running smoothly.  

• Educational Methodology: This approach is suitable for physicians who are also faculty members teaching various medical topics. Especially for those who are only exploring academic fields, this course will significantly help them determine the right instructional approach.  

• Practice Management: This is for medical professionals working in family medicine. This course will guide them on how to serve their patients better and add more value to their lives.  

• Coding and Reimbursement: Medicine is much more than clinical trials and operations. It also involves administrative tasks that many professionals tend to overlook. With this course, physicians and nurses can learn more about coding guidelines and payment processes to improve the facility’s daily operations. After all, we live in a digital world, and the field of medicine is no exception.  

Ad box? If you work in a medical facility and have access to field experts, searching for instructors should be a breeze. However, if you need assistance in gathering a pool of potential speakers or presenters, we have the solution for you.  

With our session and abstract submission review feature, you can ensure that only the best content will land in your hands. You won’t need spreadsheets to keep track of abstract and session submissions because you can set requirements, centralize the data, and give your attendees only the best speakers possible.  

Promoting your CME offerings  

At this point, you have everything you need to develop your course. You’ve already had your course approved and accredited. The next step would be to promote your course to your target audience. To do this, you need to implement marketing techniques to drive views and online visibility.  

Here are three strategies to help you generate new leads and convert viewers into customers.  

1. Leverage Google Retargeting  

Google retargeting is a strategy that can promote your course on different websites. You can decide what type of websites to promote your courses on and this strategy gives you an upper hand in generating brand awareness, improving audience engagement, and increasing the potential for conversions and revenue.  

Compared to pay-per-click (PPC) ads, this method is more affordable and much more effective. You get the same visibility — if not more — and you’re able to engage with your audience in a much more organic manner.  

2. Utilize LinkedIn Groups  

Another strategy is to utilize LinkedIn groups. LinkedIn is a social media platform that connects businesses and professional individuals. There, you can find practicing physicians who are building their network or looking for facilities to work at. When you promote your course on LinkedIn, you can target your audience directly and get immediate feedback.  

3. Maximize Social Media Channels  

While LinkedIn is popular among professionals, it’s not the only social media platform on which they’re present. You can also find your target market on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.  

When promoting on Facebook, it’s best to create a Facebook group and invite potential instructors and interested participants. This is a great way for them to not only get to know your course better but also interact with their peers.  

When using Instagram, you need to be more visual. Here, you can post infographics, brochures, and other visual information to lure prospective participants to your site. To increase your visibility rate, be sure to follow relevant pages, such as those of medical schools and pharmaceutical companies.  

Measuring Success  

The best way to measure the success of your course is to determine whether the information and activities you provide have had an impact on how practitioners operate daily or how community health is perceived.  

Of course, this form of measurement is subjective. For more concrete proof, you can gather feedback from instructors and participants. In addition, you can also get a detailed report of your performance from the committee. Both of these methods can provide you with substantial insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your course.  

With this data in hand, you can improve your future courses.