University of California San Francisco
UCSF School of Medicine UCSF Medical Center

CME Retroactive Credit Policies

Updated On
April 09, 2024

Purpose

To clarify continuing education credit granting policies for educational activities accredited through the UCSF Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME).

Overview

The UCSF Office of CME carries the responsibility for ensuring continuing education activities provide timely credit to participants and are compliant with the requirements of its accrediting agencies and University of California policies. 

Principles

  1. The Office of CME is committed to working within its capacity to provide high quality educational programs. 
  2. Timely submission of credit requests is necessary to allow time for review and revision to deliver high quality educational activities which meet accreditation standards. 
  3. Health care professionals are expected to meet high professional standards including timely submission of necessary credit requests and claims. 

Policy

  1. Retroactive Credit Claims: The Office of CME does not award credit retroactively after the credit claim deadline has passed. All credit must be claimed within 30 days of the end-date of an activity. 
  2. Retroactive Accreditation and Award: The Office of CME does not accredit educational activities retroactively. Accreditation is only in effect after approval of the Credit Request for the educational activity. Under no circumstances may a program award credit to a learner on a date prior to the approval date of their Credit Request for that educational activity.
  3. Credit Request Submission Deadlines: The Credit Request Submission Deadlines are as follows depending on the type of educational activity: 
    • Live courses (includes in person and virtual conferences): no later than 6 months prior to the start date.
    • Regularly Scheduled Series (includes Grand Rounds and Tumor Boards): no later than 90 days prior to the start date.
    • Enduring materials (on-demand learning programs including internet-based and podcasts): no later than 90 days prior to the start date.

Procedure

  1. Accreditation requests for new educational activities must be submitted with sufficient time for preliminary screening and review so that the application is prepared for submission prior to the credit request submission deadline. Those which are not cleared via preliminary screening prior to the standard credit request submission deadline must either move the start date forward or proceed without accreditation (e.g. may not award continuing education credit.)
  2. The program director and planning committee are responsible to ensure that submission deadlines are met.
  3. The Office of CME reserves the right to decline accreditation to any program which fails to meet the Credit Request Submission Deadline.

Related Policies: N/A

Accountable Dean or Director: Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education

Approval Date and Governing Body: On April 9, 2024, CCEP