How to Apply
Many organizations are interested in providing educational activities related to neurosurgery. Understandably, the ability to offer continuing medical education (CME) credits to program participants is an important component. For a meeting organizer whose resources are limited, pursuing CME accreditation through joint sponsorship is a common and mutually beneficial route to take during the meeting planning process.
AANS Can Help
The American Association of Neurological Surgeons is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to plan, develop and implement CME activities and to jointly sponsor programs.
In order to jointly sponsor a program, the AANS must work in partnership with the organization to ensure that the ACCME Essential Areas and the Standards for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education have been met. Only requests for joint sponsorship that meet these requirements can be considered.
The following is a summary of services provided and reviews conducted by the AANS in conjunction with the process of jointly sponsoring a meeting: Pre-Meeting Items
- Processing of meeting application
- Review and approval of needs assessment documentation
- Review and approval of learning objectives
- Review and approval of all promotional material including abstract request information
- Review of faculty disclosure and commercial support documentation and acknowledgements in program material. Appropriate Food and Drug Administration unlabeled product use disclosure management
- Management or delegation of management of corporate sponsorship and educational grant funds
- Review and approval of program agenda
- Counting and granting of CME credits
- Review and approval of evaluation form
- Review of meeting budget
- Ongoing correspondence with joint sponsored organization regarding process education and requests for information
- Display and distribution of meeting flyers or registration brochures at AANS Education and Practice Management courses
- Promotion of jointly sponsored meetings on the AANS Web site
Post-Meeting Items
The ACCME requires collection and review of the following items to officially close a meeting file and grant CME credits. Failure to meet the requirement would result in loss of accreditation for the organization.
- Verification of physician attendance (attendance rosters, sign-in sheets)
- CME certificate processing
- All on-site materials (program book, handouts)
- Final financial accounting
- Participant evaluation summary report
- The AANS can provide a tabulating service for meeting evaluation. (This would entail an additional fee, directly charged to the meeting.)
The Process
The joint sponsorship process involves submitting a written request to AANS and requires completion of the Joint Sponsorship Application Form at least six months in advance of the meeting date.
Upon receipt of the application, the AANS will provide a set of the joint sponsorship guidelines to interested organizations and an education representative, who will be responsible for designating the meeting with CME credit in accordance with the Essentials and Standards of the ACCME and the Standards for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education, will be designated to answer questions about the joint sponsorship process.
A sponsoring organization annually pays a $300 processing fee for submission and review of its application. This fee is nonrefundable. A flat fee, based on the size of the meeting, also is charged to the organization 60 days after its meeting date.
Additional Information
Additional information regarding the joint sponsorship process, including the Joint Sponsorship Application Form, is available at www.neurosurgery.org/aans/meetings/epm/jointsponsorship.html or by contacting Vanessa Garlisch, AANS education manager, at (847) 378-0500 or [email protected].