(Final letter with responses to 3 calls for comment Sept 10 205)

September 10, 2008 Murray Kopelow, MD Chief Executive Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education 515 N. State Street, Suite 1801 Chicago, Illinois 60654 RE: ACCME Policy Announcements and Calls for Comment Dear Dr. Kopelow: The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is pleased to offer a response to the proposed policy changes to the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for Commercial Support. In this response we will reflect three perspectives — that of family physicians across the U.S. who seek quality, unbiased continuing medical education (CME); that of a professional medical specialty society; and that of an ACCME-accredited provider of CME. First, AAFP affirms that ACCME is now, and should remain, the leading national multi-specialty entity that develops and disseminates CME rules and regulations. A strong ACCME is in the best interest of both physicians and the patients they serve. We also assert that the AAFP carefully monitors our adherence to the ACCME’s 2004 Standards for Commercial Support, as well as other pertinent laws, regulations, ethical codes, guidelines and considerations that inform our ability to ensure the identification, disclosure, and resolution of real or perceived conflicts of interest and/or bias, and are proud to have earned the designation of “Accreditation with Commendation” from the ACCME in 2001 and again in 2007. However, the ...