February 2025 Issue
Ask the Expert: CDR Updates to CPEU Guidelines
By Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 27 No. 2 P. 6
Keep Up With the Latest Changes for Professional Development
Q: I have heard that the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) has updated its guidelines for becoming a provider for continuing professional education units (CPEUs); can you explain these changes?
A: RDs must obtain 75 CPEUs, while DTRs are required to obtain 50 CPEUs in a five-year cycle. The CDR updated the CPEU guidelines to support its ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of CPE for CDR-credentialed practitioners. The following article will explore what dietetic professionals and organizations should now know if they choose to be CPE providers.
Importance of Staying Abreast
One important reason CDR updated the CPEU guidelines is “to address the trend of increased complaints regarding activities found to be in violation of CPE Accredited Provider Program Standards,” says Samantha Love, MS, RDN, director of recertification and compliance at the CDR, credentialing agency for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. According to the CDR, “Each CPE activity should be free from marketing and commercial bias, free from financial influence, and conducted in a way that promotes equity.”1 In turn, these standards mean that a provider has been vetted by the CDR to deliver nutrition and dietetics-related CPE activities that meet specific standards for content, delivery, and assessment of learning outcomes. With many individual practitioners and organizations providing CPEUs in various ways (eg, webinars, lectures, conferences), it’s important to stay abreast of these changes in order to maintain compliance.
Steps to Become a CPE Provider
In order to become a CPE provider, Love explains the updated steps that need to be taken with the following:
1. Potential providers must request a new CDR CPEU Prior Approval Account, which can take two to three business days to activate.2
2. Once the account is activated, the CPE Provider must complete all presubmission requirements before submitting CPE for Prior Approval of CPEUs.1
3. An Accountable Contact must be selected who is the liaison between the CPE Provider and CDR. The Accountable Contact represents the CPE Provider and is appointed by the CPE Provider to ensure compliance with Content Criteria, Activity Type Definitions, and CDR Provider Policies.3 The Accountable Contact is responsible for ensuring compliance with content criteria, activity type definitions, and CDR CPE provider. Each Accountable Contact must complete Accountable Contact Training and attest to an understanding of policies. Each CPE Provider account may have up to three active Accountable Contacts at a time. Each Accountable Contact must be designated as such in the CDR CPE Provider Portal.
4. One Accountable Contact from each Provider account must complete and submit a Benchmarking Report. An initial Benchmarking Report must be submitted before a CPE Provider can submit CPE activities, thereafter, a Benchmarking Report must be submitted annually to the CDR.
Important Changes to the CPE Guidelines
Major changes that Love points out are that the CDR CPEU Accredited Provider Program has been phased out. Now, all new CPEU activities and those up for renewal must be submitted as single activity applications through the Prior Approval Process. Any Prior Approval Provider is now responsible for designating an Accountable Contact to serve as the available liaison to CDR staff. In addition, all CPE activities must comply with Policy 7.0 Marketing and Commercial Bias in CPE, which states that “All attempts to favor, recommend, purchase, use, or promote particular products, product groups, commodities, equipment, devices, services, branded treatment options, diagnostic screening tools, or tests are prohibited.”4 Love explains that “The intention of this policy is that CPE be free of marketing and commercial bias; CPE is not a vehicle for marketing and may not be used to promote organizations, products, or services. Decisions related to CPE planning and presentation must not be made with or influenced by the objective to promote organizations, products, or services.”
Trade and Brand Mentions in CPEU Activities
“Trade (eg, business or organization) or brand names may be included in CPE content for informational purposes only,” Love says. Trade or brand names may not be included in CPE content for promotional purposes. Informational content, which raises awareness through education, is based on the best available research evidence, which is supported by documentation from reputable, peer-reviewed scientific research.3 An example Love provides is that a speaker may use the brand names of medications within a balanced, evidenced-based discussion on weight loss therapies. The speaker might say, “According to recent clinical trials, brand medication A demonstrates clinically significant weight loss, while brand medication B does not.” A speaker may not use the brand names of medications to encourage learners to purchase or recommend those medications.
Can CPEU Be Sponsored?
Love explains that CPE Providers may use commercial support in order to do the following:
1. Fund honoraria or travel expenses of planners, reviewers, faculty, teachers, authors, and others involved in CPE content;
2. Pay for meals for all learners before or after CDR prior approved, nonenduring CPE activities; and
3. Defray or eliminate the cost of CPE for all learners. However, CPE providers may not use commercial support to pay for travel, lodging, honoraria, gifts, or other expenses for learners participating in CDR Prior Approved CPE; influence, control, contribute to, or impact CPE content.5
Recommendations for Dietetic Professionals
If you or your company plans on being a CPE Provider, reviewing the 39-page CDR CPEU Provider Policy Manual is essential.5 Additional resources such as case scenarios, glossary of terms, and FAQs are all available on the CDRs website.3,4,6 Love adds that “Since December 2023, 1,300 individuals have completed CDR’s Accountable Contact Training. Since the program’s inception on April 1, 2024, 540 CPE Providers have submitted 2,340 CPE activities for Prior Approval.” She adds that “CDR would like to thank each of its CPE Providers for contributing to the many successes of the CDR CPEU Prior Approval Program … and looks forward to continued partnership!”
— Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND, is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition (tobyamidornutrition.com) and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. She’s written 11 cookbooks, including Health Shots: 50 Simple Tonics to Help Improve Immunity, Ease Anxiety, Boost Energy, and More. She’s also an award-winning media dietitian, spokesperson, and nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com and a contributor to U.S. News and other national outlets.
References
1. Continuing professional education registration form. Commission of Dietetic Registration website. https://www.cdrnet.org/go/and/cdr/cpe_registration_fx.cfm
2. CDR CPEU prior approval program. Commission of Dietetic Registration website. https://www.cdrnet.org/new-cdr-cpeu-prior-approval-program
3. CDR CPEU prior approval program: glossary of terms. Commission of Dietetic Registration website. https://www.cdrnet.org/vault/2459/web/Edited_Glossary%20of%20Terms%20R1%209-23.pdf
4. Case scenarios: how can a continuing professional education (CPE) provider meet the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s policies regarding marketing and CPE? Commission of Dietetic Registration website. https://www.cdrnet.org/vault/2459/web/Case%20Scenarios%20-%20Marketing[78].pdf#:~:text=Policy%207.0%20(Marketing%20and%20Commercial%20Bias%20in,use%2C%20or%20promote%20particular%20products%2C%20product%20groups%2C
5. CDR CPEU prior approval program: provider policy manual. Commission of Dietetic Registration website. https://www.cdrnet.org/vault/2459/web//CDR%20CPEU%20Prior%20Approval%20Program%20Provider%20Policy%20Manual_Updated%2010.2024.pdf
6. 2024 CDR CPEU prior approval program FAQ. Commission of Dietetic Registration website. https://www.cdrnet.org/2024-cdr-cpeu-prior-approval-program-faq