ADA CERP PROVIDER NEWSLETTER Summer 2008 Articles
Revisions to Complaints Policy and Standard XIV At its November 2007 and April 2008 meetings, the ADA Council on Dental Education and Licensure approved revisions to the ADA CERP Recognition Standard & Procedures. Revisions include the addition of a provision for confidentiality to the Complaints Policy, and clarification of guidelines for calculating credit for CE activities in Standard XIV.3. All providers should download the most current version of the ADA CERP Recognition Standard & Procedures to be sure that policies and practices are in compliance with the current ADA CERP guidelines. Complaints Policy Recognizing that the formal complaint process provides an important mechanism for ADA CERP to assess allegations of substantial non-compliance with recognition standards and procedures, the Council approved the addition of the following statement to the ADA CERP Complaints Policy: “The confidentiality of the complainant shall be protected, except as may be required by legal process.” The process and requirements for submitting a formal complaint remain unchanged. The full Complaints Policy is published in the ADA CERP Recognition Standards & Procedures. Standard XIV—Calculating Credits for CE Activities The changes to Standard XIV. Record Keeping, Criterion 3, were designed to clarify the existing guidelines on how to calculate credits for a variety of continuing education activities. As new formats and new methods of delivery of continuing education have evolved, the Council and the ADA CERP Committee determined that the existing Standard needed to be expanded to incorporate new types of CE activities and to offer improved guidance on designating appropriate credits for each type of activity. Providers should review the revised Standard to ensure that their practices for designating credits for CE activities are in compliance with the expanded definitions. Credits for any new activities that are developed should be designated in accordance with the revised ADA CERP criteria. If a provider offers courses for which credits have been designated in a manner that does not satisfy the ADA CERP criteria, the provider must bring these courses into compliance by July 1, 2009. Beginning with the Fall 2009 ADA CERP review cycle, providers will be expected to demonstrate that their practices for calculating credits for CE activities are in compliance with the revised ADA CERP Standard XIV.3. Revisions to Standard XIV.3 are focused in 3 areas:
As a result of these changes, the Standard for calculating credit for electronically mediated CE activities has been deleted. For the purposes of calculating credits, electronically delivered CE activities are not considered a separate type of activity, but are addressed within the categories of live, formal lectures, and self-instructional activities. For a more detailed description of the changes, please view the Revisions to ADA CERP Standard XIV.3 Announcement on the ADA CERP pages of ADA.org. The complete ADA CERP Recognition Standard is also available on this page. ADA CERP Provider Workshop Planned for San Antonio ADA CERP will host a 2-hour workshop on the recognition process during the 2008 ADA Annual Session in San Antonio. Members of the ADA CERP Committee will present an overview of the application and recognition process, review specific recognition standards and criteria, and discuss ways in which providers can demonstrate compliance. A panel of representatives from a variety of providers will provide additional perspectives on strategies their CE programs have implemented. The workshop is designed to be informational for ADA CERP recognized providers and for continuing education providers that may be considering applying for recognition. The session is scheduled for Thursday, October 16, from 1pm—3pm at the San Antonio Grand Hyatt. There is no fee to attend, but pre-registration for the session is required. Registration forms are available on ADA.org or by calling Kim Hendricks at 800-621-9099 ext 2869. Register by September 19 to reserve a place. The American Dental Association recently unveiled a new logo. The new logo contains the ADA’s position statement as “America’s leading advocate for oral health” and features streamlined fonts. To be consistent with the ADA brand, the ADA CERP logo has also been redesigned and will carry through the new look of the Association’s logo. The new ADA CERP logo will be emailed to recognized providers in August. Providers are asked to use the version on all future publications related to their CE activities. Please note that the logo must be used in conjunction with the authorized recognition statement: “[Provider name] is an ADA CERP recognized provider.” Providers recognized through the Extended Approval Process (EAP), must use the following statement: “[Name of component society] is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider Policies governing the use of the recognition statement and logo remain unchanged. These may be found in the ADA CERP Recognition Standards & Procedures, under Standards XI. Publicity, and XIV. Record Keeping, and Regulations Governing the Recognition Process. The logo or recognition statement should not be used on organizational letterheads, or in any fashion that would imply that the organization is affiliated with ADA CERP or the ADA, other than as a recognized provider of continuing education. The ADA CERP recognition statement or logo should not be used to imply that any courses or credits have been approved or endorsed by ADA CERP or the ADA. For instance, providers may not refer to “ADA CERP credits” or state “ADA CERP approved” or “ADA approved” in publicity or course materials. ADA CERP 2009 Program Fees to Increase ADA CERP program fees will increase by approximately 4 percent in 2009 as a result of projected increases in program expenses. ADA CERP program fees were last raised in 2007. The increased fees will be applicable beginning with the Spring 2009 application cycle.
Annual Provider Fee—Due July 1 The 2008 annual fee for all ADA CERP recognized providers was due July 1. Providers that have not yet paid the annual fee should remit payment of $285 as soon as possible. Providers that did not receive a copy of the invoice for the fee which was mailed in May should contact ADA staff. In order to streamline operations and simplify billing processes, ADA CERP has moved to a single annual fee invoicing cycle for all recognized providers. Previously, invoices for the annual fee were sent on a schedule linked to the provider’s decision cycle, so that providers regularly evaluated in the spring cycle were invoiced for the ADA CERP annual fee in the spring, and providers in the fall cycle were invoiced in the fall. All providers are now being invoiced for the annual fee for the current calendar year in May; payment is due by July 1. Payment of the annual fee is required for participation in the program. Spring 2008 Program Participation UPDATEThe ADA CERP now recognizes 386 providers of continuing education. At its spring 2008 meeting, the ADA Continuing Education Recognition Program (CERP) Committee acted on 53 applications for recognition, 5 requests for reconsideration and 8 progress reports. The Committee granted recognition or continued recognition to 43 continuing education providers and accepted 7 progress reports.
Providers Awarded 4-year Terms of Recognition Congratulations to the following providers that were awarded four-year terms of recognition in May 2008: Academy of Laser Dentistry View the complete list of ADA CERP recognized providers on ADA.org. Providers that submitted applications for ADA CERP recognition in Spring 2008 and completed the evaluation survey in general found that the application form, materials and instructions were easy to use and understand. During each recognition decision cycle, ADA CERP asks providers to evaluate several aspects of the application process. Respondents to the survey are asked to indicate their level of agreement with a series of eight statements related to different parts of the CERP application process. When compared with evaluation results from the last 2 years, Spring 2008 responses indicate increased agreement to most statements.
Data collected is used by the CERP Committee to assess CERP processes and identify needed improvements. Improvements have included the development of the abbreviated application for continued recognition, pre-printed tabs to organize the application and documentation, and revisions to general instructions. An application checklist has also been developed and is available to applicants in the Spring 2009 decision cycle. Changes to a CERP provider’s program administrator and any change of address, phone, fax or email address for the provider’s primary CERP contact must be reported to ADA CERP staff. Providers also have the option of updating their contact information in the CERP provider database online with their user ID and password. Substantive changes to a provider’s CE program must be reported to ADA CERP in writing. Substantive changes, as defined by the ADA CERP Policy Statement on Reporting Substantive Changes, may include, but are not limited to: changes to the provider’s ownership, legal status, or form of control; changes in the CE program’s sources of financial support; or the introduction of a new educational method. Please refer to the ADA CERP Recognition Standards & Procedures for more information on reporting substantive changes. Deadline for Submitting Applications and Progress ReportsJanuary 9, 2009 is the deadline for submission of applications and progress reports for the Spring 2009 decision cycle. Providers whose recognition term ends June 2009 were notified by email that their applications for continued recognition will be due in January. Application packets containing preprinted tabs were also mailed. If your recognition term ends next June, your organization intends to reapply for recognition and you did not receive any application materials, please contact ADA CERP staff. If your organization does not intend to apply for continued recognition, please submit written notice of your intent to withdraw voluntarily from the program. Current versions of the ADA CERP Recognition Standards and Procedures, policies and guidelines, application forms, and other resources for providers are available on the ADA website at http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/ce/cerp/index.asp. Handwritten applications or applications submitted on obsolete forms can not be accepted. ADA CERP Resources and Documents ADA CERP staff are available to assist providers with questions about the application process, progress reports, ADA CERP policies and other aspects of the recognition program. Please contact the ADA CERP program assistant, Ms. Kim Hendricks at 800-621-8099, extension 2869 or hendricksk@ada.org. Many resources to support CE providers are currently available on the ADA website or by contacting ADA CERP staff.
Available on request from the ADA CERP staff:
Comments, Suggestions, or Questions CDEL/ADA CERP Leadership Dr. Frank Maggio Dr. Denis (Chip) Simon ADA CERP Staff Ms. Karen M. Hart Ms. Mary Borysewicz Ms. Kimberly A. Hendricks American Dental Association—ADA CERP
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