How to Get Your Conference CE/CME Accredited: A Practical Guide

Planning a healthcare conference takes vision and effort. But if you want to maximize attendance, legitimacy, and impact, offering CE/CME credit is one of the smartest moves you can make. And it may be more doable than you think— even if you're not an accredited provider.

Whether you’re hosting a single event or building a multi-day summit, this guide will walk you through the practical steps to get your conference CE accredited, explain how joint providership works, and help you avoid common pitfalls along the way.

Interested in offering CE Credits for your Educational Activities?

Pinnacle offers Joint Provider services to non-accredited hospitals, private practices, medical societies and education partners in order to offer CE credits.

Learn more about accrediting your content

Why Conference Accreditation Matters

Continuing education (CE) credit adds real value to your event. Attendees aren’t just coming to learn—they’re coming to meet licensure and credentialing requirements. Offering credit can:

• Boost registration and perceived legitimacy

• Attract a wider professional audience

• Increase post-event engagement and satisfaction

Accreditation can also help professionals use CE funding or days off they get from their employers, allowing them to come to events they may otherwise not have access to. 

What Professionals Are Looking for in a CE Conference

Accredited education isn't just nice to have - it’s often a requirement. Depending on your audience, CE/CME may be essential for:

• Physicians (CME via ACCME)

• Nurses (ANCC)

• Pharmacists (ACPE)

• Psychologists (APA)

• Social workers, counselors, and more

Professionals are looking for easy, straightforward access to credits offered in an engaging way.

Each profession has different standards, which is why many organizers work with an accredited partner like Pinnacle to streamline multi-discipline accreditation. Multi-discipline accreditation not only benefits the audience, but also boosts the reach of the conference in a meaningful way. 

What Kind of Events Can Be Accredited?

You don’t need to be a hospital or national association to offer CE credit. Many event types can qualify:

• Live, in-person conferences

• Virtual events or webinars

• Hybrid events with both formats

• Multi-day summits or intensive workshops

• Podcasts 

• Grand Rounds

• Healthcare/wellness retreats

• Digital courses 

The key is that the content is educational, evidence-based, and designed to meet professional learning needs.

Two Main Paths to Accreditation

There are two primary ways to get CE credit for your event:

1. Joint Providership

(Best for Most Conferences)

Joint Providership is the simplest path for organizations that are not accredited providers themselves. You partner with an already accredited organization (like Pinnacle), and they oversee the accreditation process.

How it works:

• You plan the agenda and recruit speakers.
• The joint provider ensures your content meets accreditation standards and helps make adjustments/suggestions as needed.
• The joint provider handles the compliance paperwork and issues credit to attendees while you focus on your event!

2. Becoming an Accredited Provider (For Larger Organizations)

If you run multiple CE events each year, it may make sense to apply for accreditation directly through ACCME or another accrediting body. But, this path requires significant infrastructure, policies, and a good track record to meet accreditation standards.

Path	Pros	Cons
Joint Providership	Fast, easy, no infrastructure needed, outsourcing logistics allows you to focus on content	Per-activity fees, less control
Accredited Providership	Full control, long-term cost-effective if hosting numerous events	High setup and compliance burden, need infrastructure/dedicated team to support

What You Need to Prepare

No matter which path you take, your content needs to be CE-ready.

Educational Objectives

Each session should have clear learning objectives that answer: What should attendees know or be able to do after this?

Example:

"By the end of this session, participants will be able to list 3 new treatment options for alopecia areata."

Speaker Disclosures & Bias Policies

All speakers must disclose potential conflicts of interest. You’ll also need to ensure content is evidence-based and free from commercial bias.

Note: Pinnacle provides templates for disclosures, slide reviews, and commercial separation.

Evaluation Tools

Attendees must complete evaluations to claim credit. These can include:

• Session feedback surveys

• Post-tests or reflection questions

• Attestation of participation

How Joint Providership Works with Pinnacle

Pinnacle partners with organizations of all sizes to help make CE accreditation easy and efficient.

What we handle:

• Reviewing your agenda, learning objectives, and content for compliance
• Gathering disclosures and managing conflicts of interest
• Creating and collecting evaluations
• Issuing CE/CME certificates to participants
• Reporting outcomes to accreditation bodies

Why Organizers Choose Pinnacle

• Fast, Flexible Timelines: Many conferences finalize speakers late or have speakers submit presentations late. We help you stay on track and make sure credits are provided appropriately. 

• Multi-Accreditation Reach: Offer CME, CNE, CPE, and more from one source.

• Hands-On Support: We guide you through every step with a dedicated team of accreditation experts.

• Experience: As the host of our own accredited conference, podcasts, and more, our team has firsthand experience of the process and can use this to guide you in the most efficient and effective way. 

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Underestimating Timelines

CE review and setup takes time. Start the accreditation process at least 6–8 weeks before your event.

Incomplete Documentation

Missing disclosures or vague objectives can delay approval. Use checklists and templates—if you need guidance, Pinnacle can help .

Tech Troubles at the Event

For virtual or hybrid events, test your platform and recording systems in advance. Credit cannot be awarded for incomplete or inaccessible sessions.

Tips for a Smooth Accreditation Process

1. Start early and set internal deadlines

2. Use a CE planning checklist

3. Prepare speaker bios and disclosures in advance

4. Align session titles with objectives

5. Provide clear guidance to speakers, moderators, and tech teams

6. Partner with an experienced joint accreditation organization or have dedicated team members handling compliance

Next Steps

If you're planning a conference and want to offer CE or CME credit:

• Visit learnatpinnacle.com/conference to explore joint providership

• Reach out early to discuss your agenda and timelines

• Don’t stress—we’ll walk you through every step

Whether you're planning your first event or scaling up nationally, Pinnacle is your partner in bringing high-quality education to life—with all the credit your audience expects.

Interested in offering CE Credits for your Educational Activities?

Pinnacle offers Joint Provider services to non-accredited hospitals, private practices, medical societies and education partners in order to offer CE credits.

Learn more about accrediting your content