CME Joint Providership: Offer Accredited Credits Without Becoming an Accredited Provider

What is CME joint providership?

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) defines joint providership as the providership of a CME activity by one or more accredited and one or more nonaccredited organizations. In plain terms, it means your organization can offer accredited continuing education (CE) without being accredited yourself.

You partner with an ACCME accredited provider. They serve as the provider of record. You provide the content, faculty, and audience. Your learners earn real CE credit.

Joint providership has been an established process for more than 25 years. It exists specifically to expand the availability of quality educational activities — and to help accredited organizations collaborate with nonaccredited partners to grow their educational offerings. The continuing medical education ACCME system depends on this model to reach healthcare professionals beyond the direct reach of accredited providers.

How does it work?

The accredited provider must take responsibility for a CME activity when it is presented in cooperation with a nonaccredited organization. That responsibility covers accreditation requirements, compliance documentation, and outcomes reporting. Accredited organizations take on real liability when they offer joint providership — their own accreditation status is on the line if something goes wrong.

Your organization is the joint provider. You develop the educational content. You recruit faculty. You handle logistics. The accredited provider handles the credentialing side.

Jointly provided activities must carry the official ACCME accreditation statement in all printed and digital materials. This accreditation statement is required by the council for continuing medical education and must appear on everything — from brochures to digital confirmations. Here is the required language:

"This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of [accredited provider] and [your organization]. [Accredited provider] is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians."

The activity when it is presented must comply fully with all continuing medical education ACCME standards — meaning the accreditation council for continuing medical oversight applies to every jointly provided activity, not just those run directly by accredited organizations. The accredited provider is accountable for demonstrating that compliance.

What credit types can you offer?

This depends on the accreditation your partner holds. An ACCME accredited provider can award AMA PRA Category 1 Credits for physicians. If your partner also holds accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), a single program can award credit for pharmacists and nurses at the same time.

That combination — accreditation from all three bodies — is called joint accreditation. It allows a single program to carry the Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) designation. Fewer than 100 organizations in the U.S. hold it. Quality Insights is one of them.

AMA PRA Category 1 Credits can only be awarded to physicians — MDs, DOs, and international physicians with equivalent degrees. Non-physician healthcare professionals will also receive a CE certificate for the appropriate licensing boards to count toward renewal requirements.

Who can use joint providership?

Any eligible organization can serve as a joint provider. This includes hospitals, health systems, medical societies, quality improvement organizations, professional associations, and nonprofits serving healthcare professionals.

One important limit: ineligible companies cannot participate. The ACCME defines an ineligible company as one whose primary business is producing, marketing, or selling healthcare products used on patients. These organizations are excluded from joint providership regardless of their educational intent. Pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers fall into this category.

How much lead time do you need?

Most accredited providers require 60 to 90 days to process a joint providership application. Some take longer. That timeline reflects manual workflows, limited staff capacity, and providers who treat joint providership as a secondary offering.

AwardCE by Quality Insights operates on a 30-day turnaround — from signed agreement to awarded CME, CNE, and CPE credit. That standard applies to all three disciplines in a single submission. Additional disciplines such as social work or dietetics require more lead time due to separate accreditation relationships, but physician, nursing, and pharmacy credit can move in 30 days.

To meet that timeline, your organization needs to have program materials, learning objectives, faculty disclosures, and evaluation instruments ready when you submit. The clock starts when your application is complete — not when you first reach out. Starting the conversation four to six weeks before your program date gives you room to gather materials and still close within the 30-day window.

Why not just get accredited?

Pursuing independent accreditation takes 12 to 24 months. Initial ACCME application fees run approximately $27,000. Annual maintenance fees add another $26,500 to $32,000 per year. You also need dedicated staff to manage ongoing accreditation requirements.

For most organizations, that investment does not make sense — especially if you run a small number of educational activities each year. Joint providership gives you access to quality educational offerings and accredited continuing education credit without that overhead.

There is one exception. If your organization runs dozens of educational activities per year, already has CE staff in place, and needs full control over the accreditation designation, independent accreditation may be worth evaluating. For everyone else, joint providership is the smarter path.

Frequently asked questions

Can we use joint providership for online and on-demand programs?

Yes. Joint providership applies to live events, webinars, on-demand enduring materials, simulations, and blended formats. The credit type and documentation requirements vary by format, but the joint providership model works across all of them.

Does the accredited provider control our content?

No. Your organization retains control of program development, budget, logistics, marketing, and faculty selection. The accredited provider reviews content for compliance and commercial bias — they are not co-authors. Their role is accreditation oversight, not editorial control.

Can we offer Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit through joint providership?

Some accredited providers can designate jointly provided activities for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) credit from participating specialty boards. This is separate from CME credit and depends on the boards your target audience is certified by. Ask your prospective partner whether MOC designation is available and what additional steps it requires.

What to look for in a partner

Not all accredited providers offer the same level of support. Before you commit, ask:

• Do they hold accreditation from ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC — or just one? A jointly accredited partner can cover CME, CNE, and CPE in a single application. Separate providers mean separate applications, separate agreements, and separate fees.
• What is their turnaround time from signed agreement to awarded credit? Industry standard is 60 to 90 days. Providers who have invested in purpose-built intake systems can move significantly faster.
• Do they have a dedicated nurse planner on staff? ANCC requires a Nurse Planner for all nursing CE activities. Some providers treat this as a shared or as-needed role — which can slow review and create compliance risk.
• Do they manage Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) reporting, or does that fall on you?
• Is pricing transparent — base fee plus per-credit-hour rate — or do you have to request a quote to find out?
• Do they have experience with programs like yours?
• Can they support MOC designation if your audience needs it?
• What does their joint provider agreement look like — and under what conditions can they withdraw accreditation?

The right partner handles the compliance work so you can focus on delivering high-quality educational activities to your audience.

Ready to offer accredited CE?

Download our free guide — How to Offer Accredited CE Without Becoming an Accredited Provider — to get a complete overview of the process.

Or contact AwardCE by Quality Insights directly. We hold joint accreditation from ACCME, ACPE, and ANCC, offer a 30-day turnaround from signed agreement to awarded credit, and have supported accredited continuing education programs for more than 30 years. Visit qualityinsights.org/ce.