Joint providership is a simple concept. It allows a non-accredited entity (e.g., a medical society or a medical education company) to partner with an accredited organization (e.g., the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine) to develop an accredited continuing education course. In a joint providership, the non-accredited entity typically develops and delivers the educational content. The role of the accredited organization is to ensure that the content meets its objectives while adhering to the rigorous standards of accredited continuing education.
When working in joint providership, it is critically important that both the accredited organization and the non-accredited entity, as well as any faculty or planners that may influence the content, abide by the rules of accredited education. For example, disclosure and mitigation of conflicts of interest are essential for continuing education in the healthcare professions.
"At PIM, we review disclosures at the start of the planning process,” said Tanya Welsh, PIM’s Operations Team Lead. “Since the new rules around disclosure went into effect in January 2022, we’ve shifted the timing of disclosure review earlier to identify potential conflicts of interest as planning begins."
The accredited organization will also review the educational content and provide feedback to ensure that the content is unbiased and adheres to the rules of accreditation. "We dedicate a lot of time and energy to supporting new partners," said Whitney Faler, PIM's Director of Accreditation and Outcomes. "Our goal is to build capacity for managing the accreditation process within our partners organizations, allowing us to focus on strengthening our partner's education."
In a Joint Providership, what is the accredited organization’s role in grant requests?
Commercial support is allowed for accredited education, including activities that are accredited through joint providership, but with important caveats. For example, the commercial interest that provides the support may not influence the content at any stage of its development. Also, commercial support for accredited education must be disclosed at the start of the activity. For this reason, the accredited organization will review front matter, marketing materials, and registration pages for the activity.
In some cases, the accredited organization may be required to submit the request for an independent medical education (IME) grant. In all cases, the accredited organization should review each IME grant request before it is submitted. If an IME grant request is submitted by the non-accredited education partner, that group may need accreditation certificates and other information from their accreditation partner. For these reasons, it is ideal to coordinate the grant request with the accreditation partner at the concept stage.
What is the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine’s (PIM’s) experience with joint providership?
PIM has been a leading provider of accreditation through joint providership since 1979. As the accreditor for more than 2,500 continuing education activities for healthcare professionals each year, PIM has a unique perspective on provider education developed through joint providership. Our highly experienced team of accreditation experts and program managers partner with a wide range of organizations representing all resource levels to develop high-quality education.
“In addition to reviewing content for bias and relevance to the target audience, PIM guides partners in the development of content that is practical, measurable, and inclusive of the patient and caregiver perspective,” said Colleen Cancio, PIM’s Director of Partnerships. “Considering that PIM’s 650,000+ clinician learners are on the frontlines of care delivery in all settings across the U.S., nothing is more important than quality education for these healthcare heroes.”
Questions? Contact PIM at [email protected]
