BOC Enhances BOC Approved Provider Standards for Simplicity and Compliance

The “Standards for BOC Approved Providers” were recently updated to better align with best practices in the continuing education (CE) provider landscape. The recommended changes came from BOC Approved Provider feedback on common challenges in the review process and identification of pain points with Athletic Trainer (AT) learners and CE providers.

The BOC’s goal with the recent updates is to improve efficiency and reduce the administrative burden for BOC Approved Providers while also continuing to keep quality learning at the forefront. We believe these changes help to better prepare and support BOC Approved Providers while allowing them to structure programs for success and support excellence in health care CE for ATs. Changes to the “Standards for BOC Approved Providers” will be effective Jan. 1, 2026. Let’s explore the most significant updates.

Change 1: New Section on Integrity and Independence in Continuing Education

This new section consolidates Conflicts of Interest (COI) policies into one section for simplicity and easy reference. It helps to clarify expectations for preventing commercial bias and marketing. BOC Approved Providers cannot use CE to sell or promote products, services or personal businesses.

Most notably, this change establishes four pillars of COI management: review, record-keeping, mitigation and disclosure.

• Review: To prevent bias, APs must review all content creators for relevant financial or professional relationships that may present a conflict of interest before designing content
• Record-Keeping: Documentation of COI reviews is now required, aligning with annual reporting
• Mitigation: Programs need strategies to reduce potential bias in CE, rectify and minimize the effects when discovered, and learn and prevent it in the future
• Disclosure: This is now a required element to communicate with learners

Change 2: Eliminated the Clinical Bottom Line (CBL) Requirement

Eliminating the CBL requirement reduces the administrative burden on BOC Approved Providers and prevents duplication of the practice gap. While this standard has been eliminated, BOC continues to encourage APs to identify key take-aways for ATs to implement in their practice.

Change 3: Clarified Core Educational Design Pieces

The clarification of the core educational design pieces strengthens and refines expectations for developing the practice gap, learning outcomes, learning assessments and programmatic evaluations. This facilitates clearer communication among the BOC, BOC Approved Providers and ATs. It also enhances CE programs by focusing on the key elements for successful CE. These updates align with the new BOC Approved Provider annual reporting requirements.

Change 4: New Requirement – Competence-Based Assessment

This new requirement helps ATs go beyond the recall of knowledge-based content to reflect on how new knowledge and skills will make a difference in practice and decision-making. By requiring ATs to articulate how they will apply the content in the context of a real-world setting, the assessment creates a deeper reflection of the material. All CE activities must include at least one competence-based assessment. An example of a competence-based assessment is asking the AT how they will apply the learning in practice. E.g. “How will this change your practice?” BOC Approved Providers may still use knowledge-based and performance-based assessments as appropriate.

Change 5: Simplified Annual Report Process

The simplified annual report process communicates the components for a streamlined reporting and reaccreditation process focused on accountability and outcomes. New standards are aligned with this new annual report process.

Change 6: BOC Approved Provider Operations Manual Updates

The operations manual updates strengthen BOC Approved Providers organizational processes and communications, both internal and external. This includes an updated non-discrimination policy to align with best practices.

The updates also include a new joint providership policy. BOC Approved Providers must define roles, responsibilities and agreements in writing between organizations for joint providership activities. In addition, BOC Approved Providers must indicate whether they are joint providers or not. They can modify their status as joint providers at any time.

*Resources and templates associated with these changes will be provided to BOC Approved Providers soon.