VENTURA COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER
SANTA PAULA HOSPITAL
Associated with the UCLA School of Medicine
ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY
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VCMC HONORARIA AND REIMBURSEMENT POLICY
SUBJECT: PURPOSE OF DEPARTMENT
DEPARTMENT:
AFFECTS:
APPROVED BY:
OFFICE OF MEDICAL EDUCATION
EFFECTIVE DATE:
REVISION DATES:
12/5/2013
12/5/13
ALL DEPARTMENTS
Cheryl Lambing, M.D., FAAFP, CME Director
Medical Director, Professional Education, Ventura County Health Care Agency
REVIEW DATES:
Renee Higgins, M.D.
Chief Operations Officer, Ventura County Health Care Agency
Continuing Medical Education Committee Medical Staff, Staff and Members
PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND
The Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) CME Provider is accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality
(IMQ)/California Medical Association (CMA) to designate credit for continuing medical education (CME) for physicians.
The content of the CME Program will support physicians by providing educational programs from various disciplines
that address current issues in community practice, advances in technology, updates from current research, and new
directions in patient care. The Ventura County Health Care Agency (VCHCA)/Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC)
Medical Staff is diverse, working in a Safety Net Health Care System with a collective desire and goal to provide high
quality care in resource-poor, rural and international sites. Therefore, to meet the educational needs of our physicians,
Activity Medical Directors may be required to provide an experienced educator from outside of the VCHCA/VCMC
Medical Staff to address a specific CME activity and provide honoraria and/or expenses for the speaker.
APPROPRIATE USE OF COMMERCIAL SUPPORT
VCHCA/VCMC CME Provider does not solicit, accept nor utilize commercial support for CME activities and does not
accept commercial interest advice or services for CME (Administrative Policy 1.6). The VCMC CME Committee is
responsible for ensuring compliance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support SM. To maintain compliance
with these and IMQ/CMA standards, this policy regarding expenditures for providing CME is as follows:
TERMS AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR SPEAKER HONORARIA AND CME-RELATED EXPENSES
Honoraria
1. VCHCA does not pay Speaker Honoraria to our VCHCA physicians, our Medical Staff or other staff including
Committee Members, Planners or CME Staff.
2. VCHCA does not pay any form of speaker, task or author fees to our VCHCA physicians or Medical Staff for
CME activities including, but not limited to, Grand Rounds, all-day symposia/conferences/workshops and
various Regularly Scheduled Series (RSS) Activities. These Professional Leadership tasks/roles fall within our
designated responsibilities for VCHCA.
3. VCHCA does pay Speaker Honoraria for speakers arranged for Grand Rounds or other approved CME
activities who are not VCHCA Medical Staff/partners. Honoraria are provided solely for a speaker’s role as an
invited CME teacher or author, not for any role as a learner. Honoraria are VCHCA CME Budget Allocation
funds only. There is no commercial interest providing commercial support for any VCHCA/VCMC CME
activity.
Payment of Speaker Honoraria
Honoraria $100-$500 may be approved by CME Program Administrator or Coordinator
Honoraria $500-$2000 may be approved by CME Director or Chair of CME Committee
Honoraria $2000-$5000 may be approved by CME Committee and Chief Operations Officer.
(Alternatively, Honoraria may be approved by Deputy Director, VCHCA or Hospital
Medical Director or Hospital Administrator).
Reimbursement Expenses
1. VCHCA does not reimburse presentation/travel expenses for our VCHCA physicians, our Medical Staff or
other staff including Committee Members, Planners or CME Staff.
2. VCHCA generally does not reimburse for speaker expenses (mileage, air travel, food or other costs) for routine
CME Activities (1 hour Grand Rounds). Reimbursement for such expenses must be approved in advance by
the CME Director and not exceed $200.
3. VCHCA will directly reimburse speaker expenses for Symposia, Conferences and Workshops as detailed
specifically in the Speaker Invitation. Not all speakers will be offered speaker expenses as total distance to the
CME activity will be part of the consideration. The CME Committee will determine, along with the Activity
Medical Director or CME Director, whether expenses will be offered as part of the Speaker Invitation. The
reimbursable expenses include mileage, coach class airfare, taxi (but not rental car) service and food not
provided as part of the CME activity. Excluded expenses include internet or personal entertainment. All
expenses must not exceed the limits for travel reimbursement as established by the County of Ventura:
Breakfast ($13), Lunch ($18) and Dinner ($35). Tips may be included up to 15% unless the percentage of
gratuity is set by the restaurant on the meal receipt. Lodgings and air travel must be booked at the most
reasonable rate, using the closest airport and most reasonable distance from the CME activity site. Personal
vehicle mileage is paid at 0.565 cents per mile.
4. Reimbursement expenses are provided only for a speaker’s role as a CME teacher or author, not for any role
as a learner. Reimbursement expenses are VCHCA CME Budget Allocation funds only. There is no
commercial interest providing commercial support for any VCHCA/VCMC CME activity.
DEFINITIONS
Activity Medical Director: The Ventura County Medical Center faculty member in charge of planning, implementing
and evaluating the CME activity and who is responsible for collaborating with VCMC CME Provider to ensure
compliance.
Commercial Interest: Any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services
consumed by, or used on, patients.
Commercial Support: Financial, or in-kind, contributions given by a commercial interest which is used to pay all or
parts of the costs a CME activity.
Continuing Medical Education (CME): Continuing medical education consists of educational activities which serve to
maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician
uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. The content of CME is 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. (Source: ACCME)
Learner: An individual in attendance at a CME activity.