Conflict of Interest

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. The intent of the conflict of interest resolution process is to assure that provider, faculty and planner financial relationships with commercial interests and resultant loyalties do not supersede the public interest in the design and delivery of continuing medical education activities for the profession.

Criteria for Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
Instructors, planners and managers who affect the content of a CME activity are required to disclose to Saint Thomas Health Services 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 that do not make or own FDA-regulated drugs or devices do not have to be disclosed. In addition, 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. Also, you must 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. Disclosure of spousal information should be included in your disclosure in the table below.

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.