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Some commenters suggested that all comments be aggregated into topic areas that ACCME would then respond to. Others expressed concern over who would be considered “the public”: Would the right to comment be restricted to accredited providers? The American Medical Association asked that the “range of issues for which comments are to be sought should be broader, and any policy (including business policies) that may impact a member or a CME provider in any material way should be included.” AMA also suggested that the ACCME ask for input on issues before it proposes policies, in addition to requesting feedback afterward.

Generally, the consensus was that asking for input adds to the transparency of the ACCME's processes and decisions, and to the credibility of its final policies. About 90 percent of the commenters were in favor, though most wanted to see some further refinement, particularly about ACCME making public the reasoning behind the decisions made after the comment period closes.

Pulse:

• Mark your calendars to attend the 20th Annual Conference of the National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration, October 1416, 2009, in Baltimore.

• Tamar Hosansky has taken a new position as the first-ever director of communications with the Accreditation Council for CME. She formerly was editor of Medical Meetings.

• Nominations are open for the Alliance for CME's Member Sections Great Idea Awards, with a deadline of September 18.

• The Professional Convention Management Association and the Association of Corporate Travel Executives announced plans for a strategic alliance that will expand their educational offerings, create opportunities for joint research, and offer special rates for members attending each other's events.

• Convention Strategy has launched an expanded RFID (radio-frequency identification) system that can be used to track CME credits at conferences without incurring extra costs or interfering with any current sponsor revenue.

• The Green Meeting Industry Council has launched an online directory to help planners search for suppliers that are focused on environmentally responsible business practices.