Online software that can alleviate the administrative burden of managing continuing medical education (CME) requirements and monitoring credits is one of the newest benefits of membership in the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS).
The new software represents a significant improvement in tracking CME credits. For all members, the software serves as an electronic filing cabinet that contains CME records and course certificates from 1990 to present. So rather than accumulating paper certificates, you can monitor your own CME online, access information about courses you have attended, and print certificates whenever you need them-when required for local practices or medical societies for example.
To aid in attaining additional CME credits, the software also features interactive links to upcoming neurosurgical meetings and courses.
While the software is available to all members, it is particularly useful for Active and Active Provisional members, who need to achieve 60 hours of neurosurgical CME credit per three-year cycle to receive the Continuing Education Award in Neurosurgery and remain in good standing.
The Test Drive
The CME tracking software can be accessed by selecting the MyAANS.org button in the masthead of the AANS Web site, www.aans .org, or by going directly to www.MyAANS.org. Because MyAANS.org is a secure, members-only location, log-in is required.
Logging into the MyAANS.org Web site is quite easy. If you haven’t used MyAANS.org before, you will need to register with your AANS member identification number (just call AANS Member Services if you need assistance). Once you have selected a password, you can proceed. There are a series of tabs that allow you navigate through this site. At the top on the far right is the CME tab. Once you click on this tab, you can access the features of online CME tracking.
You will then see a screen that describes which CME credits are tracked on the site. This screen also includes: a button for listing a personalized transcript by date ranges; a link to upcoming CME offerings; a link to the AANS CME policy; and a link to instructions for how to submit CME.
The tracking software is personalized, so the appearance of the initial CME screen will vary slightly depending on your membership type and the particular requirements that you must meet. For example, Associate members such as neuroscience nurses and physician assistants will view text reminding them to check their CME requirements with the boards that govern their certification.
Most Active and Active Provisional members will see a screen that indicates the current CME cycle, Jan. 1, 2002-Dec. 31, 2004, and a blue bar that shows the individual’s progress toward the required 60 neurosurgical credits. When 60 credits have been reached, these members will be able to print their Continuing Education Award in Neurosurgery whenever they wish. Active and Active Provisional members who joined the AANS during the current cycle are exempted from the 60-credit requirement until the next cycle begins Jan. 1, 2005, so the information related to the current CME cycle will not appear to them.
From the main screen all members can view their transcripts. Under the View Transcript heading, simply select a date range-the default is the current CME cycle-and select the “List” button. Doing so will show you all the programs you have attended by course number, provider name, course description, course date, and the amount of CME credits per course, as well as the total of credits attained in the given date range. The transcript can be viewed by subspecialty to facilitate monitoring for subsection requirements. Both a comprehensive transcript and a subspecialty transcript can be printed by date range. Further, a personalized certificate of attendance for each course listed can be obtained at will by clicking on the underlined course number.
The software not only helps you monitor the courses you have attended, it helps you plan to attend the courses for the CME credit you still need. By clicking on the View Upcoming CME Offerings link, you can display all the upcoming offerings or select programs by region. There also is a link to the interactive Meetings Calendar at https://www.aans.org/education/meetings.asp, which provides a comprehensive listing of neurosurgical programs and links to information on how to register for them.
This online CME tracking site simplifies some of the administrative burden of monitoring ongoing education. It allows subspecialty tracking. It also enables searching for approved courses for CME credit. Although the site requires some manual work to track all CME credits, it does represent a significant improvement over keeping all records by hand.
Eric A. Potts, MD, is a neurosurgeon in Indianapolis, Ind.
| Track Your CME: Ready, Set, Go www.AANS.org > Select the MyAANS.org button in the masthead. www.MyAANS.org > Register with your AANS member identification number (contact AANS Member Services if you don’t have it handy), log in, and select the CME tab at upper right. Which Credits Can the Site Track? What Does “Automatic” Tracking Mean? For these programs, you have only to monitor your CME progress and notify AANS if you notice that something is amiss in your transcript. Individual certificates of attendance for these programs are available from the View Transcript screen by clicking on the course number and printing them at will. What Does “Manual” Tracking Mean? View the AANS CME Policy. Links to the AANS CME policy are prominent in the CME tracking software. The AANS CME policy and the CME tracking software are expected to be updated to assist members in meeting the American Board of Neurological Surgery’s Maintenance of Certification requirements as they are announced. Questions about or suggestions for the CME tracking service? Kim A. Loebe contributed to this article. |
| AANS Delays New Definition of Neurosurgical CME Until Jan. 1, 2005
Manda J.Seaver In response to questions raised by a number of members, in March the Executive Committee of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) delayed implementation of AANS’ new definition of what programs are acceptable for attaining neurosurgical continuing medical education (CME) credit until Jan. 1, 2005, when the new three-year CME cycle begins. “The AANS is committed to helping members maintain both their AANS membership and their ABNS certification while at the same time minimizing cumbersome record-keeping,” stated A. John Popp, MD, AANS president. “Synchronizing the evolving requirements of these two organizations, while a challenge for all of us, is a necessary undertaking. To ensure that members are not left behind as the process of lifelong learning evolves, the AANS will remain in the vanguard of addressing the changes that are called for, as well as open to members’ suggestions for their successful implementation.” The new definition of neurosurgical CME credit, reported in the cover story of the Winter 2002 Bulletin (“Toward Lifelong Learning”), specified “AANS sponsored or jointly sponsored meetings; AANS education and practice management courses; Congress of Neurological Surgeons annual meetings; and AANS/CNS section meetings” as available venues for earning neurosurgical CME credit. Previously, neurosurgical programs designated for category 1 credit toward the American Medical Association Physician’s Recognition Award also were accepted by the AANS as satisfying the neurosurgical CME requirement for Active and Active Provisional membership. With the Executive Committee’s March decision, this broader definition of what constitutes neurosurgical CME-attendance at category 1 AMA PRA-designated neurosurgical programs-will remain effective through Dec. 31, 2004. “The mandate for evidence-based self-regulation of medicine, called for in the Institute of Medicine’s influential report on medical errors, is manifested in the changes that currently are underway or that already have been implemented by the ABNS and the American Board of Medical Specialties,” said Robert A. Ratcheson, MD, AANS president-elect. “This movement toward demonstrating competence and verifying performance throughout our neurosurgical careers is essentially what is driving the AANS’ progress toward a specific definition of neurosurgical CME credit.” AANS members’ most frequently expressed concern was that the selection of acceptable programs specified by the proposed definition was too limited. Thus far in 2003, the acceptable programs under the proposed definition number 28 and offer approximately 473 neurosurgical credits. “The AANS heard our members’ concerns, and recognized that the perception is that presently the selection of programs included under the proposed definition is limited,” Dr. Ratcheson said. “As we gear up for the new CME cycle beginning January 2005, the AANS is working to expand the number of jointly sponsored programs so that members will be able to have an even greater choice of neurosurgical CME venues, and significant progress toward this goal already is underway.” However, as the ABNS’ MOC program evolves, the ABNS may assume responsibility for designating which programs can be attended for neurosurgical CME. Dr. Ratcheson said that if this happens, the AANS will adjust accordingly. AANS last altered CME requirements for Active and Active Provisional members in 1999, when requirements were reduced from 90 credits every three years, to 60 credits every three years. “Active” members of the AANS are neurosurgeons who are certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeryy (ABNS), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Neurosurgery) of Canada, or the Mexican Council of Neurological Surgery, AC. “Active Provisional” members are those who are in the process of attaining certification. The Active and Active Provisional membership categories together comprise more than half of AANS’ membership. More information is available at https://www.aans.org/membership/cme.asp and AANS Bulletin Winter 2002. Manda J. Seaver is staff editor of the Bulletin. |
