Activity Planning Process

The IMANA CME office evaluates new activity proposals to make sure that they are consistent with the office’s mission, goals, and objectives. This preliminary evaluation also includes an assessment of whether or not IMANA CME is likely to have the expertise and resources necessary to successfully carry out the proposed activity.

In this phase, The CME Chair coordinates the activity planning process. The planning team typically includes the CME Chair, IMANA CME staff, and other parties as needed. This team is responsible for completing a program application and presenting the program for CME activity approval.

This phase includes meeting planning and content planning and is the phase in which most of the work in the planning process occurs. Meeting planning includes date and site selection, facility contracting and budgeting. Content planning is directed by the CME Chair and includes the completion of an educational needs assessment, target audience selection, speaker and topic selection, as well as identifying the most appropriate educational format for the activity.

The IMANA CME Activity Application form is the primary vehicle used to direct and organize the planning process so that all important program planning elements are addressed and ACCME requirements are met. IMANA CME requires all individuals who are a position to influence or control the content of a CME activity to report potential commercial conflicts of interest as they are defined by the ACCME (see http://www.accme.org/requirements/accreditation-requirements-cme-providers/policies-and-definitions/financial-relationships-and-conflicts-interest ).  A standard IMANA CME Conflicts Disclosure Form is provided for that purpose.

In this phase, IMANA CME staff review the IMANA CME Activity Application, note necessary additions or modifications and work with the CME Chair on supplementing the Application with missing information. Once approved internally by the CME Staff, the activity application is forwarded to the IMANA CME Advisory Committee for ratification.

Following CME activity approval, preparation for delivery of the educational activity is ongoing and includes registration, documentation of CME credit, activity evaluation and final budget reconciliation.