CME Provider Services

Eligibility to apply for PacWest accreditation

Organizations planning on applying for “initial accreditation” must meet the following requirements:

• Have an organizational structure with a significant level of physician governance.
• Have a dedicated planning and approval process.
• Have a target audience with no more than 30 percent out of the scope of PacWest'spurview as an accrediting body (currently Washington State, Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, and Oregon) or bordering states. Should more than 30 percent be from out of state the organization may need to seek accreditation directly from the ACCME.
• Plan, implement and evaluate at least two CME activities within the 24-month period prior to the submission of materials for initial accreditation, or two activities which meet all accreditation criteria and standards.
• Demonstrate an overall organizational commitment to the CME program, including physician support, budget support, staffing, staff continued education and record-keeping resources.
• Not be an ineligible company. An “ineligible company” is defined by the ACCME as any company whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Expectations of PacWest-accredited providers

Pre-applicants and accredited providers are expected to:

• Demonstrate compliance with all PacWest and ACCME accreditation requirements.
• Evaluate the overall CME program on a regular basis for compliance with the accreditation requirements and make changes as necessary.
• Submit on-time ACCME annual reporting data.
• Submit on-time WSMA annual or interim reporting data (dependent on level of accreditation).
• Inform WSMA of any changes to program size, content, structure, staff support or administration.
• Submit on-time any Progress Report or Plan required by the CME Accreditation Committee.
• Payment of certain fees to obtain and retain accreditation.

Type of organizations and institutions eligible for accreditation

PacWest accredits the following organizations and institutions:

• Community hospitals which provide continuing medical education activities for hospital medical staffs and physicians in the local community;
• Medical organizations which do not have national administrative scope: e.g., regional, statewide, county, or other local societies;
• Local units of voluntary health organizations not under national administration for their continuing medical education;
• Any other organizations and institutions, which provide or produce continuing medical education program for physicians, which are essentially local in nature. An applicant might also be a major unit of an institution, i.e., the department of radiology of a major medical center.

See the ACCME’s page about eligibility for a full list of eligible and ineligible organizations.

Instructions for initial applicants

The first steps in becoming a PacWest-accredited CME provider are to complete the pre-application form for initial CME accreditation and submit the pre-application fee (see Fees section on this page). Please fill out the form and email to Kendra Peterson, Director of Continuing Medical Education & Professional Development. Mail the pre-application fee to:

WSMA
c/o Kendra Peterson, CHCP
Director of Continuing Medical Education & Professional Development
1215 4th Ave. Suite 1901
Seattle, WA 98161

The purpose of the pre-application is for the committee to determine if your organization is eligible for CME accreditation by explaining the mechanisms in place to meet the WSMA policies and guidelines.

Once approved, your organization will receive instructions for submitting an initial accreditation application. PacWest accredits providers on a “cohort” system. Providers are divided into one of three cohorts. Your due date will be based on the next available cohort. Once accredited, all future re-applications, annual reporting and accreditation fees will be based on that cohort’s expiration dates. In order to find out which cohort your organization can apply for, please contact Kendra Peterson at kendra@wsma.org, or 206.956.3638.

If your organization is currently accredited by PacWest and you are seeking re-accreditation, you will receive a notice of re-accreditation approximately 12 months from your current term expiration date.

Application materials for March 2022 and Onward Re-accreditation Cohort

• Guide to the accreditation process – updated February 2023
• Outline for the self-study report (self-study application) – updated February 2023
• Performance in practice structured abstract – updated April 2024
• Performance in practice Individuals in Control of Content

The accreditation process consists of three portions: submission of the narrative Self-Study; submission of Performance-in-Practice (PIP) activity files; and an accreditation interview.

Self-Study

The self-study is intended to address two major components of accreditation:

• A record of your CME program’s compliance with accreditation requirements, including the Accreditation Criteria, the Standards for Integrity and Independence, and policies. When conducting your self-study, your organization will be asked to describe its past and current performance in meeting the ACCME’s criteria for compliance with each of the accreditation requirements. You will also provide evidence to demonstrate compliance.
• An analysis on the degree to which your organization is meeting its CME mission and the identification and implementation of changes in the overall program that are required to improve on your organization’s ability to meet the CME mission. Your plans for improvement might relate to fixing identified problems with compliance. They might also relate to changes your organization would like to make as a result of factors in the CME environment. Improvement plans reflect the vision and values of your CME program and frame your program’s process for identifying the need for, and implementing, change.

Providers submit the self-study using an outline provided by PacWest. The self-study outline is available in the Accreditation Materials menu.

Performance-In-Practice (PIP) Review

PIP files allow accredited providers and applicants to demonstrate compliance at the CME activity level. Accredited providers submit their CME activity data for their accreditation term in ACCME’s Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS). Based on the data provided, PacWest will select up to 15 activities to review. Providers are accountable for demonstrating performance-in-practice for all the activities selected using a structured abstract. The PIP structured abstract is available in the Accreditation Materials menu.

Once PacWest has received your self-study application and PIP files they will be reviewed by PacWest staff. Staff will notify you should any items be missing from the application.

The next step in the accreditation process is an accreditation interview. You will be required to submit at least five dates in the range dictated by your cohort. PacWest staff will work to find surveyors from the CME Accreditation Committee to volunteer to review your CME program. You will be notified when a date has been chosen.

Accreditation Interview

The purpose of an accreditation interview is to gather or clarify information about your CME program according to the submitted written materials. The survey team is comprised of volunteers serving on the CME accreditation committee and PacWest staff. You can expect surveyors to be professional, courteous, and familiar with your CME program.

Surveyors will use the three elements of the accreditation process to gain a comprehensive view of the program in its entirety. Surveyors are only fact-gatherers, they do not give an accreditation decision at the time of the survey. After the interview, surveyors will report their findings to the CME Accreditation Committee, which meets three times a year. The committee will make an accreditation decision and you will then be notified of your new accreditation status.

ACCME Resources

• Criteria for compliance
• Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education
• Definition of ineligible company
• ACCME policies & definitions
• ACCME examples of compliance and noncompliance
• Education & support
• Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education Resources

Other CME Resources

• Guide for writing learning objectives
• Desirable physician attributes
• AMA PRA booklet: 2017 Version
• AMA FAQ for CME Providers (login required)
• Colorado Medical Society CME provider update: "CME Planning - Criteria 2 & 3" 
• AMA new type of activity

Helpful Links

• ACCME - Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
• ACEHP - Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions
• AHRQ – Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• AAFP – American Academy of Family Physicians
• ABMS – American Board of Medical Specialties
• American Cancer Society
• ACMQ – American College of Medical Quality

Download and review the WSMA CME policies and accreditation requirements (updated August 2023).

WSMA accredited providers are responsible for abiding by AMA requirements to award AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ .

Accreditation Statement

The WSMA oversees the PacWest Continuing Education Accreditation Collaborative (PacWest), which accredits organizations in Alaska, American Samoa, Hawaii, Guam, Oregon, and Washington. In the accreditation statement, accredited providers may use the name of different State Medical Societies (SMS) in the accreditation statement:

• Washington State Medical Association: Alaska, Oregon, Washington
• Hawaii Medical Association: American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii

Directly Provided Accreditation Statement:

The [name of accredited provider] is accredited by the [SMS Name] to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Jointly Provided Accreditation Statement:

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the [SMS Name] through the joint providership of [insert name of accredited provider] and [name of non-accredited provider]. The [name of accredited provider] is accredited by the [SMS Name] to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Washington State providers may include this additional statement for the Washington Medical Commission:

This activity meets the criteria for up to ___ hours of Category I CME credit to satisfy the relicensure requirements of the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission.

AMA Credit Designation Statement

The [name of accredited provider] designates this [type of educational activity*] activity for a maximum of ____ AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

*Types of educational activities:
The types of educational activities are designated by the AMA, and include:

1. Live activity
2. Enduring material
3. Journal-based CME activity
4. Test item writing activity
5. Manuscript review activity
6. Performance improvement (or PI) CME activity
7. Internet point-of-care activity
8. Other activity (brief explanation)

Non-physician Statement

Accredited providers may provide non-physician learners with a record of attendance using this language:

The [name of accredited provider] certifies that [name of non-physician participant] has participated in the [learning format] titled [title of activity] [at location, when applicable] on [date]. This activity was designated for [number of credits] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

For policy or accreditation requirement questions, please contact Kendra Peterson, associate director of education and accreditation, at kendra@wsma.org or 206.956.3638.

CME accreditation fees

Pre-application fee: $500
Initial accreditation fee: $4,500
Late fee: $500
Progress report fee: $1,500
Reconsideration fee: $2,000
Annual accreditation fee: See below

PacWest Annual Accreditation Fee Structure

Beginning in 2026, PacWest will implement a tiered accreditation fee in addition to the ACCME’s tiered system. Tiers range from Tier 1 through Tier 5, based on the number of activities or learners, whichever is greater, over the previous 3 years of Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) data. The PacWest annual accreditation fee is a combination of PacWest’s fee plus the ACCME’s passthrough fee for state medical society accredited providers.

ACCME Tiered Fee Structure

The ACCME uses a five-tier fee structure. It ranges from Tier 1, comprising the smallest CME programs, to Tier 5, comprising the largest CME programs. Program size is based on the average number of activities or learner interactions, whichever is greater, over the past three years. The ACCME uses data that CME providers enter into PARS over the previous 3 reporting years to assign tiers for their annual accreditation fees. If your organization is newly accredited, the ACCME uses data from the most current year to determine your tier.

The ACCME updates fees periodically. See the table below for the ACCME’s 2025 fees for State Medical Society accredited providers. ACCME fees for 2026 are subject to change.

ACCME 2025 Tiered Fees

* For comparison purposes only. Demonstrates that PacWest makes CME accreditation as affordable as possible by consistently charging lower fees than the ACCME.

PacWest Implementation

The PacWest annual fee is a combination of the PacWest tiered fee plus the ACCME’s tiered fee. Looking ahead, we anticipate that the PacWest fee will increase by a rate of approximately 3% each year. The PacWest total accreditation fee continues to be significantly lower than fees for ACCME-accredited providers.

PacWest Tiered Fees

Accreditation Fee Formula:

PacWest Tiered Fee + ACCME Tiered Fee = Total Fee Charged to Accredited Providers

For questions about your organization’s tier, please contact Kendra Peterson, CHCP, at kendra@wsma.org or 206.956.3638.