ACCME Criteria for Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

Each presenter at an ASSH Course or Annual Meeting is required to sign the Society's Terms and Conditions of Engagement Form and complete the Conflict-Of-Interest Form found in the "My Profile" section of your online record.  Those who do not complete the TCE or COI form will not be allowed to present.  All disclosures must be received in advance of the meeting so they can be included in any handout materials, abstract books and in the onsite announcements and PowerPoint slides.

Reporting Disclosures
Because CME activities are conducted in the public interest, it is important to assure the public that education received by physicians and other health care professionals through whom patient care decisions are made is conducted with the highest integrity, scientific objectivity and in the absence of bias. A conflict of interest exists when individuals have both a financial relationship with a commercial interest and the opportunity to affect the content of CME about the product or services of that commercial interest.   The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) holds providers of CME responsible for collecting information from its instructors, planners and managers of CME content and resolving those conflicts prior to the commencement of the CME activity. In accordance with ACCME requirements, failure to provide disclosure information in a timely manner will result in the disqualification of the potential instructor, planner or manager from this activity.  

Criteria for Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Instructors, planners and managers who affect the content of a CME activity are required to disclose to the ASSH financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they have with commercial interests associated with this CME activity of any amount over the past 12 months ONLY. A commercial interest is defined as a maker or owner of a FDA-regulated drug or device. Relationships with governmental agencies (e.g., the NIH) and organizations which do not make or own FDA-regulated drugs or devices do not have to be disclosed. Additionally, you are required disclose SIGNIFICANT financial relationships your spouse or life partner has with applicable manufacturers (“significant” means, for example, holder of a patent, or is employed by a manufacturer you reference), or provides marketing advice to applicable manufacturers.

Note: If you have received honoraria (or fee-for-service) or consulting funds from a CME provider, even though those funds may have been provided through an educational grant from a commercial interest, you do not have to disclose those honoraria or fees.

FDA Disclosure
If your presentation will include discussion of an “off-label” or other non-FDA-approved, investigational use of a medical devices or pharmaceutical products you must disclose during the presentation that the product is not labeled for the use under discussion or that the product is still investigational. 

As a presenter, you agree to the following:

1. The content of the Presentation is accurate.
2. The Presentation does not violate any copyright, proprietary rights or personal rights of others.
3. The materials, including photographs, used in this Presentation do not identify, by name or otherwise, suggest the identity of, or present a recognizable likeness of any patient or others; or, if they do, I have obtained all necessary consents from patients and others for the further use, distribution and publication of such materials.
4. The Presentation will be educational in nature, will not promote any product or service, and will not contain any false or misleading statements regarding any products or services or include materials that are anticompetitive, slanderous, libelous or otherwise illegal, offensive or inappropriate.
5. If therapeutic options are discussed during the Presentation, only generic names or the trade names of several companies to the extent possible will be discussed.
6. All relevant financial relationships will be disclosed to learners verbally (for live activities) and in print. 
7. The content and/or presentation will promote quality or improvements in healthcare and will not promote a specific proprietary business interest of a commercial interest
8. Content for this activity, including any presentation of therapeutic options, will be well-balanced, evidence-based and unbiased.
9. If the presenter has been trained or utilized by a commercial entity or its agent as a speaker (e.g., speaker’s bureau) for any commercial interest, the promotional aspects of that presentation will not be included in any way with this activity.
10. If research funded by a commercial company is being presented, the information will be based on generally accepted scientific principles and methods, and will not promote the commercial interest of the funding company.

Questions? Contact meetings@assh.org.