Disclosure standards

The AAD provides CME to members through its accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, and follows ACCME standards for disclosures of outside interests by those who prepare or present educational material. ACCME updated its Standards for Commercial Support in 2021 and renamed them the “Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.” As a result, a few rules for educational planners and presenters have changed.

• Disclosures will be required to include financial relationships over the last 24 months rather than 12 months.

• The language ACCME uses to describe companies that presenters may have financial relationships with has changed from “commercial interest” to “ineligible company,” with the term “ineligible” referring to the fact that the company cannot be accredited by ACCME.

• Speakers at meetings will be allowed to mention their authorship or involvement in the creation of for-profit items like textbooks, but will not be allowed to recommend the purchase of such items.

• Persons who own stock in privately held “ineligible companies” will be considered owners of such companies, and thus face tighter restrictions on their planning or presentation of CME activities.

AAD members who present at meetings starting with the 2022 Annual Meeting, as well as those who participate in the development of other educational materials for 2022 and beyond, will see the updated requirements reflected in the attestation and disclosure forms they are required to complete.

To learn more about these policies, review the Academy’s updated administrative regulation on Disclosure of Outside Interests and Management of Conflicts of Interest (PDF) and its governance policy on Copyright, DOI, and Confidentiality (PDF).