Southern California Medical Education Council (SCMEC) is committed to ensuring that its educational activities are balanced and free from promotion. Therefore, in addition to disclosure of any financial relationship(s) with commercial interests, all SCMEC planner/faculty/authors must disclose financial relationship(s) with entities that sell products or services to CME professionals. To ensure balance and independent education, SCMEC will review all planner/faculty/author relationships with commercial interests and with entities that sell products or services to CME professionals.  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.

Companies that sell products or services to CME professionals are NOT ACCME-defined “commercial interests,” therefore these financial relationships do not pose a conflict of interest (COI) related to the ACCME’s Standards for Commercial Support.

SCMEC will consider these financial relationships when creating a planning committee and will include at least one (1) individual on the committee with no financial relationships with an entity that sell products or services to CME professionals.