How does one apply for Category 1 CME credit for a program?
A Category 1 Application needs to be completed and submitted to the CME Division, 100 CMAB, The University of Iowa. (Fax: 319/335-8327)
However, we strongly urge you to meet with Susan Zollo (319/335-8597) prior to the planning process to ensure you are aware of various accreditation issues and requirements.
What UI meeting rooms are available for conferences, what is their seating capacity, and who is the contact person?
Click here to obtain this information.
I would like to register for a conference and pay with a credit card. Which cards do you accept?
The CME Division is only authorized to accept VISA and MasterCard.
Can we register for a CME program online?
We are in the process of setting up an online registration system. However, it is not available at this time.
What's the difference between "accreditation" and "certification?"
Organizations and institutions that offer CME are "accredited." "Certification" refers to individual CME activities. The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) accredits organizations and institutions to be CME providers. These accredited groups, in turn, may "certify" or "designate" individual CME activities for what is called category 1 credit toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award (PRA).
What is AMA category 1 credit?
In 1968, the American Medical Association established the PRA certificate and a related AMA PRA credit system to recognize physicians who, by participating in CME activities, demonstrate their commitment to staying current with advances in medicine.
Formally planned AMA PRA category 1 educational activities must be developed by organizations that meet all accreditation requirements of the ACCME, and cover specific and scientifically valid topics. More specifically, AMA category 1 CME activities must:
Forty-five states, Iowa included, require that physicians earn category 1 as a condition of licensure/relicensure.
* Within the broader context of continuing physician professional development (CPPD), the AMA defines CME as:
Consisting of educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase knowledge, skills, professional performance, and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, and the profession. CME represents 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.
What's the difference between "direct sponsorship" of CME and "joint sponsorship?
Directly sponsored CME activities may be AMA category 1 certified offerings. Initiated and originating directly from within an accredited CME provider, members of this group serve as program coordinators; have significant involvement in the planning and evaluation process; and, in the case of the UI Carver College of Medicine, serve as speakers and facilitators.
Jointly sponsored CME activities may also be AMA category 1 offerings but are initiated by groups and organizations outside of the UI Carver College of Medicine and that are not accredited by the ACCME. Faculty of the College either must be involved in the planning process of these activities or serve as speakers and facilitators.
I'm a representative of a pharmaceutical company and I would like to exhibit at an upcoming conference. How do I go about doing that?
Contact the CME Division at 319/335-8599 to be advised of the necessary paperwork and requirements.
I'm from out of town and I will be attending a conference at the Medical Education and Research Building on the UI Carver College of Medicine campus. How do I get there and where do I park?
Click here for directions to MERF (MS Word Document).
I missed the deadline to register at the conference hotel to get the group rate. Is there anything I can do?
Contact the CME Division at 319/335-8599 and we will try to help!