Continuing medical education consists of educational activities which serve to maintain,
develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and
relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the
profession. The content of CME is that body of knowledge and skills generally
recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the
discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the public.

Commercial Support is financial, or in-kind, contributions given by a commercial interest, which is used to pay all or part of the costs of a CME activity. (Examples: meals, speaker honoraria or travel expenses, meeting space, etc.).

A Letter of Agreement (LOA) is a written agreement specifying the terms, conditions, and purposes of the commercial support between the commercial supporter that includes the provider and its educational partner(s). The agreement must include the provider, even if the support is given directly to the provider’s educational partner or a joint sponsor.

All commercial support, both monetary and in-kind, requires a letter of agreement with signature by UAB (at the University-level, not the department level) and signature by supporting company. If the Division of CME's LOA is used, it should be routed through Procurement for signature; if the commercial entity has their own LOA that they prefer, it will most likely need to go to Grants and Contracts for signature.

All support must be disclosed in writing to participants prior to the educational activity. A copy of the signed LOA should be dated and received prior to the live program date or enduring format release date.

All individuals who are in a position to control the content of an educational activity are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months related both to content and to commercial supporters of the activity.

An individual must disclose to learners any relevant financial relationship(s), to include the following information:

• The name of the individual;
• The name of the commercial interest(s);
• The nature of the relationship the person has with each commercial interest.

For an individual with no relevant financial relationship(s) the learners must be informed that no relevant financial relationship(s) exist.

Timing of disclosure

A provider must disclose the above information to learners prior to the beginning of the educational activity.

A conflict of interest is present when individuals in a position to control the content of CME (or their spouses/partners) have a relevant personal financial relationship with a commercial entity that benefits the individual and may ultimately bias the presentation of that content to colleagues and participants.

If a perceived conflict exists, it must be resolved by:

• Alter financial relationships - Individuals may choose to discontinue or alter their relationship with a commercial entity and eliminate any bias associated with the proposed CME content.
• Alter control over content - The individual and/or UAB CME can elect to alter the educational design, format or content or individual responsibilities to maintain the scientific rigor, integrity and balance of the CME activity.
• Peer-Review of Content - Independent review and validation of content can verify the scientific bases and integrity of the content as well as the consistency with the overall educational design. Peer review will follow these two standards:
  
  • Clinical medicine recommendations will be based on evidence currently accepted within the profession of medicine as acceptable justification for indications and contraindications for the care of patients.
    
  • Scientific research referenced, utilized and/or included in CME activities will conform to generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis.