Approved Provider

Continuing Nursing Education Information for Approved Providers

An Approved Provider Unit (APU) is an organization who supports the delivery of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) activities. An Approved Provider may be a single unit or part of a larger organization that has the authority to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate NCPD activities and operate using ANCC Accreditation Program criteria .

Each NCPD activity must have a nurse planner (NP) and a content expert.  The NP can serve as both but there must be at least one other planner. Contact hours may not be awarded for activities developed without the direct involvement of a NP. APU may jointly provide activities, but they may not approve activities.

  • For eligibility to apply for APU status, the organization must be one of following:

    ·         ANA Organizational Affiliate

    ·         C/SNA of the ANA

    ·         College or University

    ·         Healthcare facility

    ·         Health-related organization

    ·         Multidisciplinary educational group

    ·         Professional nursing education group

    ·         Specialty Nursing Organization (SNO)

    ·         Cannot be an ineligible company (those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients).

    ·         Must be operational and using the ANCC criteria for a minimum of 6 months prior to application and implemented at least three separate educational activities in the last 12 months that adhere to the ANCC Accreditation Criteria.  These activities cannot be jointly provided and must have at least 60 minutes in length for initial applicants.

    ·         Target the majority (>50%) of its CNE activities to nurses in a single HHS region and its contiguous states (based on the HHS regions: http://www.hhs.gov/about/agencies/regional-offices). Applicants whose target audience is in multiple regions or in states that are not confined to a single region and its contiguous states for more than 50% of its activities may not be Approved Providers. Instead, they must apply to ANCC as Accredited Providers through the accreditation process.

    ·         Compliance is required with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations that affect the organization’s ability to meet the Mississippi Nurses Foundation (MNF) guidelines.

    ·         Disclose previous denials, suspensions, and/or revocations of ANCC Accreditation and/or other accrediting /approving organizations.

    ·         Must identify one nurse planner who will act as the primary nurse planner (PNP) and:

    ·         Hold a current, unrestricted license as an RN and a baccalaureate degree or higher in nursing

    ·         Have authority within the organization to ensure compliance with ANCC accreditation criteria

    ·         Be accountable to the Accredited Approver Program Director (AAPD) at MNF for all APU activities

    ·         Ensure that all NPs in the APU hold current valid licenses as RNs with a baccalaureate degree or higher in nursing

    ·         Be responsible to orient, educate, and monitor all APU NPs to ensure that each NCPD activity has a qualified NP who is an active participant in the planning, implementing, and evaluation process.

    APU APPLICATION PROCESS

     

    Step 1 – Establish Approved Provider Unit Eligibility - An ineligible company cannot provide NCPD.  Complete the Applicant Eligibility Verification Form and email to the AAPD for review at kdorr@msnursesfoundation.org.

  • Required:  Applicant Eligibility Verification Form

  • Resource:  Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education - check the web link for the current document and resources at: 

    ANCC Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education | ACCME  

    Tips for incorporating the Standards for Integrity and Independence

       

    Step 2 - Once eligibility has been confirmed, the PNP should contact the AAPD for a consultation phone call to review the application process and answer any questions.

     

    Step 3 – Application Process – complete the self-study template, APU Information form, and payment form at least 3 months prior to the review cycle for APU status.  Submit these documents via email along with 3 individual activity files (see record-keeping list) to foundation@msnurses.org.

  • Required:  APU Self-Study Template, Information Form, Payment Form                                                     

  • Resources:  Guide for Writing to the ANCC NCPD Accreditation Criteria, ANCC Table of references/outcomes, Impact of CNE/Nursing Outcomes, SMART Goals                   Worksheet.                            

                                                                                                      

    Step 4 – Application Review Process – Upon receipt of the documents, a quantitative review will be conducted to ensure the application is complete before sending to the nurse peer reviewers.  Submission of any missing documents should be submitted within 2 weeks from the request.  Once the qualitative review is complete and the AAPD makes the final decision, a letter will be emailed to the applicant.  Possible decisions are:

    ·        Approval with Distinction (3 years): exemplary work in adherence to ANCC accreditation criteria

    ·        Approved (3 years): full adherence to ANCC accreditation criteria

    ·        Approval with a Progress Report: lack of documentation to support adherence to ANCC accreditation criteria.  Documentation is required to bring organization into full compliance with the ANCC accreditation criteria. If organization cannot be fully approved, a progress report may be requested, which may result in an ability to award contact hours.

    ·        Provisional Approval with a progress report (up to 1 year):  partial adherence to ANCC accreditation criteria.  Close monitoring and follow-up progress report of improvements along with additional documentation to show full compliance with the criteria. The AAPD will review documentation and reassess compliance to make a decision for full approval, approval with a progress report, or denial of approval at that time. If organization cannot be fully approved, a progress report may be requested, which may result in an ability to award contact hours. 

    ·        Denial: non-adherence to ANCC criteria and lack of sufficient evidence to support compliance.  Organizations can reapply once they have addressed deficiencies and can provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate compliance with ANCC accreditation criteria. 

     

    Step 5 – For new APU, all documents/forms must be updated to include the correct Approved Provider ANCC approval language.  

    (Name of Approved Provider) is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the Mississippi Nurses Foundation, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

    Step 6 – The APU continues to assess learner needs, plan, implement and evaluate educational activities which adhere to the relevant criteria of the ANCC Accreditation Program within the agency without submission of an application to MNF with each activity.  The APU is responsible for maintaining NCPD records for 6 years (see record-keeping list).     

                                                         

    Step 7 - The APU is responsible for submitting a report annually of NCPD activities conducted to the ANCC’s Nursing Activity Reporting System (NARS).  The AAPD will send out a reminder each year regarding the requirements and due date of March 1st. 

FORMS/RESOURCES FOR APPROVED PROVIDERS