Managing Commercial Support: UAB entities

The ACCME Standards for Commercial Support

There are six essential pillars to the ACCME’s Standards of Commercial Support. The essential elements are listed below, we encourage you to click on the link in each bolded item and read through each standard. You will likely have questions, and you should direct those to us or contact your certification specialist.

  • Independence:
    • Commercial interests can't control any aspect of content development
  • Resolution of personal conflicts of interest:
    • Anyone in control of content must disclose all relevant financial relationships
    • An individual who refuses to disclose financial relationships cannot be a planner, committee member, teacher/presenter, or author of CME content
    • UAB CME, as provider, must have a process to identify and resolve all conflicts of interest (that process is described in the section on financial disclosure)
  • Appropriate Use of commercial support:
    • UAB CME, as provider, must make or validate all decisions regarding disposition and disbursement of commercial support
    • A commercial entity cannot influence or offer advice on decisions concerning teachers, authors, participants, or other education matters
    • UAB CME must be made aware of all commercial support provided to any activity
    • All terms for using commercial support must be documented in a written agreement between the commercial supporter and UAB CME
  • Appropriate management of associated commercial promotion:
    • All commercial promotion must be physically separated from educational activities
    • No advertising or commercial logos can appear in educational content
  • Content format without commercial bias:
    • Content can't promote any specific business interest
    • Presentations must give a balanced view of therapeutic options
  • Disclosures relevant to potential commercial bias: