AMBOSS CME information and policies

AMBOSS has been reviewed by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) and awarded Provisional Accreditation for two years as a provider of continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.

Accreditation in the ACCME System seeks to assure the medical community and the public that AMBOSS delivers CME that is relevant to clinicians’ needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness, and independent of commercial influence.

Physicians may earn CME/MOC credit by reading information in a CME-eligible article to address a clinical question, and then completing a brief survey in which they will identify their question and report the impact of any information learned on their clinical practice.

For questions or feedback related to the AMBOSS CME program, please email us at cme@amboss.com.

The mission of the AMBOSS CME program is to develop a library of articles that provide clinicians with updated, evidence-based, clinically relevant information on a wide range of diseases and conditions, in a concise and accessible format optimized to support learning and clinical decision-making. The expected results of the program are an increase in clinical competence and an improvement in the clinical performance of participants.

• Purpose: To promote the professional development of clinicians and provide support for clinical decision-making.
• Target audience: Currently practicing clinicians, across various clinical and academic settings internationally
• Funding source: None
• Content: CME content is developed by a team of physician authors and editors in a standardized process that includes multi-stage peer review. The research sources that are used include updated best practice guidelines and expert recommendations, are adherent to accepted standards of scientific evidence, and are fully referenced. Content is free of commercial bias and adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education.
• Activity type: CME is offered for eligible articles in the format of an “Internet searching and learning” or “Internet point-of-care” activity, in which the learner self-identifies a particular clinical question or problem, and accesses AMBOSS CME content to search for an answer. The learner then completes a brief survey in which they are asked to identify their initial question and report the impact on their practice of any information learned.
• Expected results: The AMBOSS CME program is designed to increase the clinical competence of program participants and to improve the quality of the clinical care they provide in practice, as measured by self-report.

AMBOSS has processes in place to ensure that all CME content it provides is independent and free of bias from any commercial interests. These processes are in compliance with the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, and are conducted in the following order.

1. Identification of financial relationships
   • All individuals who have any element of control over CME content are required to disclose information annually about all financial relationships with ineligible companies in the past 24 months.
     • The nature of the relationship and the name of the ineligible company must be disclosed.
     • Relationships must be disclosed regardless of the amount involved.
     • An ineligible company, previously known as a commercial interest, is defined as any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
   • This information is collected on a standardized form, and all forms are maintained on file.
   • Individuals who decline to disclose this information are not permitted to be involved with any aspect of CME content.
2. Exclusion of owners or employees of ineligible companies: Individuals who own or are employed by an ineligible company are prohibited from having control over or involvement with any aspect of AMBOSS CME content, unless the CME content has no relation to the business lines or products of their employer/company.
3. Identification and mitigation of COIs
   • Disclosures are reviewed to determine whether an individual has a financial relationship that is relevant to the CME content over which the individual has control.
   • For CME planners (including the Chief Medical Officer, Editor-in-Chief, and Content Leads): Active COIs are not permitted. If identified, they are required to be divested.
   • For individuals in all other CME roles (including authors and editors): If a COI is identified, it is evaluated and appropriately mitigated, e.g., by peer review (with modification of content if necessary) by a non-conflicted individual or divestiture of the relationship.
4. Disclosure of COIs
   • Disclosures of the existence or non-existence of conflicts of interest for all content contributors are displayed in the topmost section of each CME topic article.
   • Where a relevant financial relationship exists, the name of the individual, the name of the ineligible company, and the nature of the relationship is disclosed.

American Medical Association: AMBOSS designates this Internet point-of-care activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit

• American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) MOCA 2.0® Program: This activity contributes to the CME component of the American Board of Anesthesiology’s redesigned Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology™ (MOCA®) program, known as MOCA 2.0®. Please consult the ABA website, www.theABA.org, for a list of all MOCA 2.0 requirements.
• American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification Program: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 0.5 medical knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.
• American Board of Pathology (ABPath) Continuing Certification Program: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 0.5 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology's (ABPath) Continuing Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting credit.
• American Board of Pediatrics (ABP): Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn up to 0.5 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABP MOC credit.