PRESENTERS/FACULTY - ACE Disclosure & Attestation

We are pleased that you are willing to participate in Children's of Alabama sponsored Accredited Continuing Education (ACE). We seek to provide needs-based educational opportunities to improve healthcare quality.

Children's of Alabama is accredited by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama to offer continuing medical education to physicians. As such, we have made the choice to meet the Accreditation Council for Accredited Continuing Education’s (ACCME) expectations for our practice of accredited continuing education. We look forward to working together to provide ACE at the highest standard.

ACE Activity Content Standards

Children's of Alabama requires that the content of ACE activities and related materials provide balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor. Content must be free of the influence or control of ineligible companies and must promote improvements or quality in healthcare.

Regarding ACE content, it is the policy and expectation of Children's of Alabama that:

All recommendations involving clinical medicine be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients.

All scientific research referred to, reported or used in this activity in support of justification of a patient care recommendation conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis.

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 must be used.

Disclosure & Attestation

Children's of Alabama has implemented a process for obtaining disclosure of all relevant financial relationships with any ineligible companies by those in a position to control an education activity's planning, approval or content. Also Children's of Alabama seeks to preserve the ACE participation of all presenters through their attestation to certain statements regarding their role.

Conflicts of interest develop when an individual has an opportunity to affect ACE content about the products or services of ineligible companies with which he/she has a financial relationship.

The ACCME defines "relevant financial relationships" as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 24 months that create a conflict of interest. (See Glossary at end for additional definitions of terms).

Through your completion of the attached form, we can inform ACE participants about your relevant financial or other relationships and also can move to the next steps in your ACE activity participation. Refusal to provide disclosure and attest compliance with our ACE role statements (page 3) disqualifies one from participating in Children's of Alabama ACE activity planning and implementation.

Glossary of Terms

Ineligible Company

The ACCME defines an "ineligible company" as any proprietary entity producing healthcare goods or services, with the exemption of non-profit or government organizations and non-health care related companies.

Financial Relationships

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 for which remuneration is received or expected.

Relevant Financial Relationships

ACCME focuses on financial relationships with ineligible companies in the 24-month period preceding the time that the individual is being asked to assume a role controlling content of the ACE activity. ACCME has not set a minimal dollar amount for relationships to be significant. Inherent in any amount is the incentive to maintain or increase the value of the relationship. The ACCME defines "relevant financial relationships" as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 24 months that create a conflict of interest.

Conflict of Interest

Circumstances create a conflict of interest when an individual has an opportunity to affect ACE content about products or services of ineligible companies with which she/he has a financial relationship.