ACCF Scope & Parameters
Joint/Co-sponsorship/Co-providership CME/CNE
The sliding fee scale will include a tiered structure such as the following (please note that all fees below are subject to
change without prior notice):

Basic Certification Fee per activity
Format:
Live Activity
ACC Chapter
CME
CNE
BOTH
Benefits/Services Provided for the fee
$1500
$1500
$1800
Coalition of
Cardiovascular
Organization (CCO)
$10,000
Add an additional fee
of $300 for ACCF
Nurse Planner
$10,000
ACCF Nurse Planner
fee already included in
the above cost
$10,300
All others
$50,000
Add an additional fee
of $300 for ACCF
Nurse Planner
$50,000
ACCF Nurse Planner
fee already included in
the above cost
$50,500
•
CME and/or CNE certification
•
Review grant apps
•
COI Risk Stratification
•
Peer review of material
•
Evaluation survey/summary
Same benefits as Chapter plus
•
3-4 months outcomes evaluation
•
Peer review of material
Add an additional fee
of $500 for ACCF
Nurse Planner
ACCF Nurse Planner
fee already included in
the above cost
CME
CNE
BOTH
Benefits/Services Provided for the fee
$1500
$1500
$1800
•
•
Coalition of
Cardiovascular
Organization (CCO)
$25,000
Add an additional fee
of $300 for ACCF
Nurse Planner
$25,000
ACCF Nurse Planner
fee already included in
the above cost
$25,500
All others
$50,000-$75,000
Add an additional fee
of $500 for ACCF
Nurse Planner
$50,000-$75,000
ACCF Nurse Planner
fee already included in
the above cost
$55,000-$80,000
ACCF Nurse Planner
fee already included in
the above cost
ACCF Nurse Planner
fee already included in
the above cost
Format:
Internet/Enduring
ACC Chapter
Same benefits as Chapter and CCOs
CME and/or CNE certification
Peer review of material
Same benefits as Chapter plus
•
Activity hosted on CardioSource
Same benefits as Chapter and CCOs plus
•
Program promoted through headline on CardioSource
•
eNewsletter to over 65,000 CardioSource users
•
Quarterly traffic report of online activity
Additional ACCF Services Available Upon Request:
a. ACCF Mail list = Contact INFOCUS Marketing (sales@infocusmarketing.com – or by phone (800)708-5478)
b. Disclosure and COI resolution management $ (TBD)
(These services will be outsourced as needed to ensure proper resource management)

ACCF Responsibilities:
 Serve as accredited provider and primary sponsor
 Certify activity as credit eligible; provide the CME and/or CNE credits
 Provide all accreditation related guidelines and templates as required by any new accreditation criteria for
all CME/CNE providers
 Approve all marketing promotions for proper accreditation wording and use of logo
 Set mandatory deadlines for the partner to complete accreditation requirements
 Train staff and provide dedicated resources to assist with
American College of Cardiology Foundation –Revised 092412

Joint/Co-sponsor/Co-provider* Responsibilities:
 A chief activity manager will be identified at the outset
 Partner will handle certification request submission, which should have all questions answered, and be
accompanied by all required documentation and signatures (incomplete applications will be returned
without review)
 If requesting nursing credit(s), partner will need to contact the College’s lead nurse planner to assign a
designated ACCF Nurse Planner who will be involved from the very beginning of planning through evaluation
of your activity
 Partner will manage needs assessment, financial management, marketing, activity planning,
implementation, evaluation, and record keeping in accordance with ACCF guidelines
 Responsible for grant solicitations in accordance with ACCF guidelines
 Pre-approval from ACCF is required before any requests for commercial support can be submitted. ACCF
will need the partner organization’s login and password, if applicable, for review and approval of each
grant application to ensure compliance with the processes, content and information required by the
commercial supporter.
 Carries all financial liability for the activity
 Adheres to ACCF project timelines and accreditation policies
 Participates in mandatory training and planning activities required by ACCF
 Participates with ACCF in outcomes study project, if requested

Eligibility Criteria:
Chapter
Coalition of
Cardiovascular
Organization
(CCO)
All others
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
ACC chapter in good standing with the College
Timely submission of proposal application (Certification Request Form)
Proposal includes evidence-based need for the activity; need ties to ACCF mission
No previous unresolved violation of accreditation criteria
Any CCO in good standing with the College
If an accredited organization, no past accreditation infractions
No previous unresolved violation of accreditation criteria
Timely submission of proposal application (Certification Request Form)
Proposal includes evidence-based need for the activity; need ties to ACCF mission
Chief activity manager will take on all related responsibilities
Any non-accredited or accredited organization other than an ACC chapter or CCO
No past accreditation infractions
Response to ACCF distributed RFP only
Must adhere to an existing ACCF learning format

Type of Activity:
 Live program, enduring

Size of Activities:
 Various sizes - small, medium or large

Geographic Spread:
 Various locations/regions in the U.S.

Type of Accreditation:
 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (CME) for physicians, and/or ANCC contact hours (CNE) for nurses

Activity Dates:
 Beginning January 2012 – December 2012

Audience:
 Cardiovascular physicians and/or nurses; other members of the CV care team as appropriate
American College of Cardiology Foundation –Revised 092412

Topical Need:
 ACCF will provide guidelines and templates for the development and documentation of educational gaps
and learner needs. However, establishing the education need for the individual activity, and linking that
need to learning objectives and the ACCF CME/CNE mission, must come from the partner organization
 The submission of evidence-based needs will serve as one of the key criteria for approval of any joint
sponsorship request. This information will be included with application request. Needs assessment data
resources are available from ACC staff.

Approval Process:
 Complete ACCF application/proposal form
 Fully executed proposal is due no later than four months prior to the activity
 Allow two weeks for ACCF prescreening and template packet completion
 Final ACCF prescreening approval will be issued when both disclosure/COIR and promotional information
have been approved by ACCF

Mandatory Timelines: ACCF will provide a mandatory activity timeline for each program upon its approval.
*Type of Partnerships
CME
Joint Sponsorship
X
Co-Sponsorship
X
Provider/Co-Providership
Peer Review
CNE
This is Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) term for an activity planned and
implemented by an ACCME accredited provider working in collaboration with a non-accredited entity. ACCME
considers these partnerships high-risk for CME, because the accredited provider must ensure compliance with
the ACCME Essential Areas and Policies.
This is an activity planned by two ACCME accredited providers, where one assumes the role of “primary”
sponsor (issuing credits, ensuring compliance, assuming all accreditation risk), and the other serves as
“secondary” sponsor.
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Accredited Providers may co-provide educational activities with
other organizations. The co-providing organization may not be a commercial interest or sponsor. A Nurse
Planner from the ACCF must be on the Planning Committee and is responsible for ensuring adherence to the
ANCC accreditation criteria.
X
X
Definition
X
The ACCF is referred to as the provider of the educational activity. The other organization is referred to as the
co-provider of the educational activity. In the event that two or more organizations are ANCC Accredited, one
will act as the provider of the educational activity and the will act as the co-provider.
The ACCF is responsible for obtaining a written co-provider agreement, signed by an authorized
representative of the co-provider.
Review of content by a content expert. The ACCF’s risk management process requires that reviewers must be
non-conflicted with commercial bias. “Internal” peer review is by a content expert within the College, which
may include an activity editor/director, committee member, or another presenter. “External” peer review is
by an expert content reviewer, group or organization outside of the College.
American College of Cardiology Foundation –Revised 092412