The client wanted to continue to provide detailed Request for Proposals (RFPs) on their grant website to enable CME providers to submit proposals which were in line with their grant funding criteria, however, they were concerned that this process might be introducing bias or somehow inappropriately influencing the content of the grant activities. The client sought the help of outside experts to resolve and mitigate this potential risk.
Key: Flexibility
The client chose CME Peer Review because they needed a group that was independent of commercial influence, understood the ACCME regulations and other relevant guidelines, had experience in monitoring CME activities and could design effective evaluation tools to objectively evaluate the RFPs and make suggestions to the process that would eliminate any potential bias or influence, while continuing to enable the RFPs to provide guidance and direction to the CME providers.
The client provided CME Peer Review with a representative sample of their RFPs, as well as a description of the process used to determine grant funding. CME Peer Review carefully reviewed these materials and processes and developed a unique RFP review process.
CME Peer Review created an objective evaluation tool for RFPs to detect and eliminate potential bias and influence. They also established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for RFPs and provided staff training to ensure all responsible for reviewing RFPs were following the same process.
Following the implementation of the new RFP-SOPs, CME Peer Review conducted an independent analysis and determined that the RFPs were targeted to what the company was looking for in grant proposals while ensuring and documenting that neither the RFPs, nor the review process, were introducing bias into the content of the CME activities.