American Academy of PAs Adopts Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education

We’re pleased to announce that the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) has adopted the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. The Standards are designed to ensure that accredited continuing education provides healthcare professionals with accurate, balanced, evidence-based information that supports safe and effective patient care.

Updated in December 2020, the Standards reflect the values of the continuing education community. In adopting the standards, AAPA joins other accrediting bodies representing multiple health professions, including Joint Accreditation. Independence from industry is the cornerstone of accredited continuing education. By achieving consensus on the Standards, these accrediting bodies in the health professions stand together, not only to continue to assure the delivery of high-quality learning experiences, but also to sustain the protection from industry bias and marketing that accreditation rules deliver: 

• Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) 
• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) 
• American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) 
• American Academy of PAs (AAPA) 
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) 
• Association of Regulatory Boards of Optometry’s Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (ARBO/COPE) 
• Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education 

“AAPA is pleased to adopt the ACCME’s recently updated Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. We are committed to ensuring that the education PAs receive from AAPA and the AAPA Category 1 CME system is protected from inappropriate and undue influence from financially interested parties. Adhering to these standards will give assurance to PAs that CME available to them through AAPA is based on up-to-date medical information and will provide the resources they need to improve patient care.”  Daniel Pace, Vice President, Education and Research & Chief Strategy Officer, American Academy of PAs (AAPA) 

“We welcome the adoption of the Standards by AAPA, our colleague accreditor. We share a commitment to ensuring that healthcare professionals have access to relevant, timely, efficient, and effective education that is balanced, evidence-based, and insulated from industry bias. PAs represent all medical and surgical specialties and make vital contributions to healthcare. We look forward to working with AAPA and the other members of our community of educators and accrediting bodies to deliver on our promise to offer trusted learning that helps clinicians and teams across the health professions provide safe, effective, and compassionate care.”  Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)