Abstract Submission Disclosure/Conflict Resolution Policy

As a provider accredited by both the ACCME and the ANCC, Amedco must insure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all its directly sponsored or jointly sponsored educational activities.  Any individual being considered to participate in a sponsored activity who is in a position to control the content is required to disclose any financial relationships* with commercial interests**. The intent of this disclosure is to aid the Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Nursing Education Office in determining: 1) if a conflict of interest exists; and, if so, 2) if that conflict can be resolved. All such information disclosed by everyone appointed to participate in the CME/CNE activity will be disclosed to the CME/CNE activity participants.  Refusal to disclose prohibits participation.

*Financial Relationships are those relationships in which the individual benefits by receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honoraria, ownership interest (e.g. stocks, stock options or other ownership interest, excluding diversified mutual funds), or other financial benefit. Financial benefits are usually associated with roles such as employment, management position, independent contractor (including contracted research), consulting, speaking and teaching, membership on advisory committees or review panels, board membership, and other activities from which remuneration is received, or expected.  ACCME/ANCC consider relationships of the person involved in the CME/CNE activity to include financial relationships of a family member (family members are spouse/legally recognized domestic partner and dependent children).

**A Commercial Interest is any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods and services consumed by, or used on patients.

If a conflict of interest is found to exist, a remedy is determined by joint provider in collaboration with our Education Staff.

Amedco, in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) policies on assuring the independence of CME/CNE activities require all CME/CNE faculty to attest that:

• All the recommendations involving clinical medicine in a CME/CNE activity are based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients (ACCME July 2002)

• All scientific research referred to, reported or used in a CME/CNE activity in support or justification of a patient care recommendation conforms to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis (ACCME July 2002)

• Research findings and therapeutic recommendations are based on scientifically accurate, up-to-date information and are presented in a balanced, objective manner (AMA 2002).  

The Commercial Support Standards require that your presentation be free of commercial bias and that any information regarding commercial products/services be based on scientific methods generally accepted by the medical community.  Presentations must give a balanced view of therapeutic options.  When discussing therapeutic options, it is our preference that you use only generic names.  If it is necessary to use a trade name, then those of several companies where available must be used. 

Questions about application of the policy to individual presentations can be directed to Patricia Ferchland-Bingham.