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Once you have decided joint providership is the right path, the next choice matters just as much: who you partner with. Accredited providers vary widely in scope, speed, and support. Here are eight questions to ask before you commit, and what a strong answer sounds like.
1. Which bodies are you accredited by?
A partner accredited only by ACCME can award physician credit alone. A jointly accredited partner holds ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC accreditation, covering CME, CNE, and CPE in a single application. If your audience spans professions, this is the most important question on the list.
2. What is your turnaround time?
Industry standard is 60 to 90 days from signed agreement to awarded credit. Providers who have invested in purpose-built intake systems move faster. AwardCE operates on a 30-day standard turnaround, with rush processing available for tighter timelines.
3. Do you have a dedicated Nurse Planner on staff?
ANCC requires a Nurse Planner for every nursing CE activity. Some providers treat this as a shared or as-needed role, which can slow review and create compliance risk. A partner with a dedicated Nurse Planner keeps nursing credit moving.
4. Do you manage PARS and CPE Monitor reporting?
Reporting is where the compliance burden lives. Confirm your partner handles PARS submissions, and CPE Monitor reporting for pharmacy credit, as the provider of record so it never falls on your team.
5. Is your pricing transparent?
A strong partner will tell you the structure up front: a base administrative fee plus a per-credit-hour rate. If you can only learn the cost after a lengthy quote process, treat that as a caution flag. See our cost breakdown for typical ranges.
6. Do you have experience with programs like ours?
Ask about activities similar to yours in format and audience. A partner who has supported comparable programs will anticipate the requirements instead of learning them on your timeline.
7. Can you support MOC and multiple formats?
If your audience needs Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit, ask whether the partner can designate it and what that requires. Also confirm they support your format, whether that is live, webinar, on-demand, conference, or blended.
8. What does the agreement look like?
Read the joint provider agreement closely, including the conditions under which accreditation can be withdrawn. A clear, fair agreement is a sign of a partner who does this often and does it well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does experience really matter?
A great deal. An experienced partner has seen the edge cases, from commercial support to multi-session conferences, and can keep your activity compliant without slowing you down. Quality Insights has supported accredited CE for more than 30 years.
Should turnaround time be a dealbreaker?
It depends on your calendar, but slow turnaround limits your options. A 30-day standard, versus the 60-to-90-day norm, gives you far more flexibility to respond to opportunities and tight event timelines.
Do we have to be an existing client?
Not with AwardCE. The service is open to any qualified health organization, whether or not you have worked with Quality Insights before.
Ready to offer accredited CE?
Ready to compare us against this checklist? AwardCE by Quality Insights answers every one of these eight questions plainly, starting with joint accreditation from ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC and a 30-day standard turnaround. Download our free guide, How to Offer Accredited CE Without Becoming an Accredited Provider, or schedule a free consultation.
