Policy on Honoraria

St.Vincent Hospital will provide the payment of “reasonable” honoraria and reimbursement of “reasonable” out-of-pocket expenses for faculty and those who contribute to CME development and delivery.  The details of expenses and amount of the honorarium will be specified in the faculty disclosure form which will also serve as confirmation of the faculty’s willingness to participate in the CME activity.  Individuals who provide services for continuing medical education activities sponsored by St.Vincent Hospital may not receive payments from any other sources for their service for the same CME activity.

St.Vincent Hospital will allow a range of honoraria to be offered to or negotiated with all those involved in the CME process.  It must be noted that if there is outside commercial support for the CME activity, the amount of honoraria must be reached independent of that support.  St.Vincent Hospital recognizes that there may be varying levels of honoraria depending on the type of activity, the number of faculty, credentials, etc. If extraordinary circumstances exist such as requests for copies of syllabi, rewrites, additional copies, etc., an exception to the established honoraria may be made.  If revisions to the contracted honorarium amount should be made, such a revision will be documented in the activity file and approved by the CME course director who supervises the budget of that CME activity.

Honorarium Procedures

Step 1: St. Vincent Hospital is in a position to pay some of the expenses of both faculty and learners of CME activities as long as they have a bona fide teaching role.  Under no circumstances will a physician learner be given compensation or reimbursement for attending a CME activity.

Step 2: It should be noted that all payments for speaker honoraria must flow directly through the St.Vincent Hospital and/or its educational partner.  The amount of the honorarium will vary depending on length of presentation and expertise in the field.

Step 3: It is unacceptable for anyone other than the St.Vincent Hospital as the CME provider to receive direct financial benefit from external sources. All commercial support must be channeled through the Hospital as the accrediting provider.

Step 4: CME provider invites an individual to serve in an educational activity in a specific role/capacity. The policy on honoraria along with a written agreement outlining the amount of honoraria and reimbursement criteria will be included.

Step 5: The individual providing the services returns his/her service agreement, indicating acceptance of the honorarium and reimbursement terms.

Step 6: If the honorarium exceeds the customary range, documentation explaining the reason for the exception will be placed in the CME accreditation file.

Developed May 2005
Approved by Continuing Medical Education Committee August 12, 2005
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Sister Mary Frances Loftin
Chairman, St. Vincent Hospital Board
August 12, 2005