Ineligible Companies
Ineligible companies are organizations whose primary business involves producing, marketing, selling, re‑selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
 
For detailed examples of ineligible companies, visit: https://accme.org/rule/eligibility/.
 
Financial Relationships
A financial relationship exists when an individual receives any financial benefit from a company.
 
These benefits may include:
 
  • Salary
  • Royalties
  • Intellectual property rights
  • Consulting fees
  • Honoraria (including promotional speakers’ bureau activities)
  • Ownership interests (e.g., stocks, stock options—excluding diversified mutual funds)
  • Other direct or indirect financial compensation
Examples of Financial Relationships
  • Employee (salary)
  • Researcher
  • Consultant
  • Advisor
  • Speaker
  • Independent contractor (including contracted research)
  • Fees for promotional services, regardless of source (e.g., non‑accredited speakers’ bureau presentations)
  • Royalties or patent beneficiary
  • Executive leadership role
  • Ownership interest
  • Individual stocks or stock options
  • Research funding (including funding received by your institution if you are the principal or named investigator)
Relevant Financial Relationships
 
A financial relationship is considered relevant when all three of the following conditions are met for a person who will control educational content:
 
  1. A financial relationship of any amount exists between the individual and an ineligible company.
  2. The relationship existed within the past 24 months.
  3. The educational content is related to the products or business lines of the ineligible company with whom the individual has the financial relationship.