Education

PACE Provider FAQs

If you do not see your question or would like more information on any of the questions listed, please e-mail PACE@agd.org.

  • Do I need to purchase a scanner to submit CDE electronically to the AGD?
  • How many CDE hours should I award participants?

  • A participant has contacted me to change a subject code. Do PACE Guidelines allow this?

  • What is the difference between national and local PACE Approval?

  •  What is the difference between accreditation and PACE approval?

  • Our organization is expanding and changing its name and contact person. Do we need to reapply for PACE approval?
  • We have just developed an online program. Can I issue CE for it or do I need to reapply for PACE approval?

  • How do I know what my AGD PACE Provider ID number is?

  • What is membership maintenance credit?

  • What is the course completion/verification code?  
  • Can course instructors earn CDE for courses they teach?
  • Why Does the AGD Need Me to Submit Course Rosters?  
      

     
    Do I need to purchase a scanner to submit CDE electronically to the AGD?
    Many providers have found handheld scanners to be an accurate and efficient method to collect AGD member ID numbers on site but they are not required to submit CE electronically to the AGD. The handheld scanners quickly records and store ID numbers found on AGD member ID cards. These ID numbers are later downloaded into a Microsoft® Word or Excel file. Scanners can hold up to 500 numbers at any given time, so you can scan IDs from multiple courses before downloading. (Just make sure you know where one course ends and another begins.)  Click here for more information.
     
    How many CDE hours should I award participants?
    Check the AGD's quick reference charts when planning your next class to help you determine the right type and amount of CE to issue to your attendees.
     

     A participant has contacted me to change the subject code. Do PACE Guidelines allow this?
    PACE Guidelines do not restrict the number of subject codes a provider can award credit in during a particular session. PACE just asks that providers accurately represent the topic taught. Because of the advanced nature of many programs, PACE is aware that there are often several subject areas discussed. If you receive requests from participants to reassign hours after the program is completed, you should consider the requests and, if it is reasonable and accurately represents the content, you can approve the request and e-mail     PACE@agd.org authorizing the AGD to make the change.

     

     

    Note: These requests generally come from members working towards their AGD Mastership Award and we encourage AGD PACE-approved providers to work with them on a one-on-one basis whenever appropriate and possible.

     

     What is the difference between national and local approval?

    If your organization has local approval and is expanding so that it is offering courses in more than one state, or will be drawing a significant number of attendees from more than one state, your organization will need to apply for national approval. Click here to download an application for national approval or send a request to PACE@agd.org.

     

     What is the difference between accreditation and PACE approval? 

     Accreditation is a fully developed procedure that:

    1.  establishes standards or criteria of academic excellence in collaboration with educational institutions;

    2.  develops procedures that enable institutions to perform an in-depth self-evaluation to determine whether they meet

    the established standards;

    3.  performs on-site evaluations to determine if the institution meets the established standards;

    4.  publishes a list of institutions that have met these requirements and have been accredited by the agency;

    5.  periodically reviews approved institutions to determine whether they continue to uphold standards of educational quality.

    All types of accrediting agencies employ these steps, but specific criteria and the procedures for inspection or examination may differ from agency to agency.

     

    PACE approval is a rigorous process that includes some, but not all, of the steps required by accrediting bodies. Most notably, AGD PACE does not make site visits. PACE approval:

    1. establishes standards or criteria of excellence;

    2. develops procedures that enable institutions to perform an in-depth self-evaluation to determine whether they  meet the established standards;

    3. publishes a list of organizations that have met these requirements and have been approved by the AGD;

    4. periodically reviews approved organizations to determine whether they continue to uphold quality standards.

    The AGD does not endorse or claim to support any course content, but it does have a group of appointed dentists who can verify that the content of the programs has a sound scientific basis.

     

     Our organization is expanding and changing its name and contact person. Do we need to reapply for PACE approval?

    The AGD PACE Program approves organizations, not individuals, so if your organization has a simple name or contact change, please send written notification to AGD PACE on the current organization’s letterhead to let us know the new information.  We will update the information in our database.

     

    We have just developed an online program. Can I issue CE for it or do I need to reapply for PACE approval?

    The AGD PACE program approves organizations, not specific courses. If your organization currently has national PACE approval, you do not need to reapply to issue CE to participants who complete your online program as long as the program continues to meet published PACE Standards. However, you do need to notify the AGD about the change to your program (see page 22 of the current PACE Guidelines, Policy Statement on Reporting Substantive Changes). To ensure that your program meets the PACE Standards, please review Standard XIII, Self-Instruction and Electronically Mediated Programs, and Form B of the current PACE Application for National Approval. 

     

    If your organization has only local approval, you will need to apply for national approval. You can download the PACE Application for National Approval at www.agd.org or send a request to PACE@agd.org.

       

     How do you know what my AGD Pace Provider ID number is?
    AGDPACE Provider ID numbers are six-digit codes that are assigned to you when your organization applies for AGD PACE approval. Letters of approval or denial include your AGD PACE Provider ID number. Approved providers can also find their ID number, contact information, and term of approval on the AGD Web site. Go to http://www.agd.org/, select Education, then select AGD Program Provider (PACE) and Find a Provider from the menu on the left.

     

     What is membership maintenance credit?
    AGD members must earn and record with the AGD 75 hours of CE each three years.  Continuing dental education activities put on by any organization, institution or individual are accepted for AGD membership maintenance credit.  For these hours to apply  to the Fellowship or Mastership awards however the program proved must have applied for and received AGD PACE approval or national ADA CERP approval.

     

      What is the course completion/verification code?

    The course completion/verification code is a random code that each program provider announces toward the end of each course to help verify that each participant has taken part in the entire session or course. According to current PACE Guidelines, a course completion/verification code for each educational activity must be given to the attendees at the end of each course. While completion/verification codes are randomly selected, we suggest that you limit the code to six characters. You also may want the code to be easily identifiable to you. Some programs use the instructor initials as the first three letters of the location along with a date, subject code, or course code. Program providers also must include the verification code when submitting electronic or paper rosters of AGD member participants to the AGD.

     

    AGD subject codes correspond to various topics in dentistry and are used to categorize the hours a doctor completes. Subject codes should best reflect the course content.  Multiple subject codes can be assigned for one program to accurately represent the content taught.

     

     Can course instructors earn CDE for courses they teach?

    Yes, course instructors can earn continuing education (CE) for any courses that they teach. At the end of each program, providers should supply each instructor with a letter verifying the number of hours they taught.  This letter can be very similar to the verification of attendance that providers supply to all course participants. The only difference is the listed teaching method must be TEACHING instead of lecture or participation. If the instructor is an Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) member, providers should indicate whether this is the first time that the instructor has offered the program. Instructors must check with their local licensing board to determine whether the hours will be accepted for re-licensure credit.

     

     

    Why Does the AGD Need Me to Submit Course Rosters?

    The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) maintains comprehensive continuing education transcripts for all of its members, to track hours toward AGD Awards and to verify course attendance for re-licensure. PACE-approved providers are required to submit course rosters (either online or via fax/e-mail) to the AGD within 30 days of course completion so that member transcripts can be accurately updated. All submitted names should clearly indicate which participants are AGD members.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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