ASNC Conflict of Interests Identification and Resolution
American Society of Nuclear Cardiology CME Policies and Procedures for Identifying and Resolving Conflicts of Interest
The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Commercial Support. In compliance with these standards, it is ASNC’s policy to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific merit in all of its educational activities through the disclosure of relevant financial relationships with commercial companies and resolution of conflicts of interest. All planners, reviewers, authors and presenters involved in any educational activity are required to disclose any relevant financial relationships in any amount occurring in the past 12 months with any commercial interest. Safeguards against commercial bias have been put in place by ASNC and ASNC ensures that any conflicts of interest are resolved before the educational activity occurs and discloses all relevant financial relationships to the learners prior to the beginning of an education activity.
Commercial Interest
The ACCME defines a “commercial interest” as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services, consumed by, or used on, patients. The ACCME does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be commercial interests.
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 from which remuneration is received, or expected. ACCME considers relationships of the person involved in the CME activity to include financial relationships of a spouse or partner.
Relevant Financial Relationships
The ACCME defines ‘relevant’ financial relationships as financial relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. The ACCME has not set a minimum 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 considers financial relationships to create actual conflicts of interest in CME when individuals have both a financial relationship with a commercial interest and the opportunity to affect the content of CME about the products or services of that commercial interest.
Conflict of Interest
Circumstances create a conflict of interest when an individual has an opportunity to affect CME content about products or services of a commercial interest with which he/she has a financial relationship.
Procedure for Identifying Conflicts of Interest:
Everyone who is in a position to control the content of a CME activity (e.g., planners, reviewers, speakers, authors, staff, etc.) must disclose all relevant financial relationships with a commercial interest to ASNC by completing an Attestation or Faculty Disclosure Form prior to the education activity being delivered to learners. Individuals who refuse to disclose relevant financial relationships are automatically disqualified from participating in any educational activity.
Process for Resolving Conflicts of Interest:
ASNC Education Committee and Activity Directors review conflict of interests and determine if potential conflicts exist, all ASNC educational activities are assigned independent Education Committee reviewers responsible for reviewing presentations in advance of the event except for the annual meeting. In the case of the annual meeting, all disclosures of potential conflicts of interest are identified in advance and those with potential conflicts are sent a communication requesting their presentations be submitted prior to the meeting for review. In addition, the ASNC Education Committee may also intervene to resolve conflicts of interest by appointing independent reviewers with specific topical expertise to assist in a resolution process as needed. ASNC staff ensures standards mechanisms for conflict of interest resolution are in place for all contributors of an activity.
Disclosure of financial interests or lack of any relationships is made to the learners prior to any activity. Disclosure includes the name of the individual, the name of the commercial interest(s) and the nature of the relationship the person has with each commercial interest.
If the activity receives commercial funding, the source of all support from commercial interests is disclosed to learners.
Disclosures never include the use of a corporate logo, trade name or a product-group message of an ACCME-defined commercial interest.
ASNC Education Committee
The Education Committee is a permanent committee reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the committee oversees and guides ASNC’s CME programs. The Board of Directors oversees the direction of the entire organization.