ACCME PARS API Reference - American Medical Compliance

Overview Setup Activity API Learner API Learner Match Sandbox Error Codes n8n Wiring

AMC ACCME Provider ID

0008273

Reaccredited March 2024

Overview

AMC Active - ID 0008273

REST XML - TLS 1.2

Physicians only - All 50 states

PARS is the only system that performs direct provider-to-state-board electronic CE submission for physicians across all 50 states. One POST request and ACCME distributes to every applicable licensing board automatically.

Three web services

Service	Purpose	Methods
Activity API	Register CME course records in PARS. Required before any learner submission.	`SaveActivity` • `GetActivity`
Learner API	Submit individual physician completion records. ACCME distributes to state boards overnight.	`SaveLearnerActivity` • `GetLearnerStatus`
Learner Match	Pre-validate physician identity before submitting. Eliminates most rejections.	`LearnerMatchRequest`

Key constraints

Constraint	Detail
`Who`	US-licensed physicians only - MD, DO, PA. AMA PRA Category 1 or MOC credit. No nurses or dental.
`Consent`	Learner must consent before data is submitted. Add consent checkbox to AMC Certificate Platform iframe.
`Protocol`	TLS 1.2 minimum on all connections.
`Format`	REST plus XML only. Content-Type: `application/xml; charset=utf-8`. Not JSON.
`SOAP`	Legacy SOAP deprecated. All new development must use REST XML only.
`Window`	Current year and previous year. 2025 completions accepted until March 31, 2027.
`Dates`	Date only - no time component. Including a time causes Central-to-UTC conversion errors.
`Editing`	Learner records cannot be edited. Delete and resubmit with corrections.

MOC certifying boards - data flows automatically

Board	Acronym
American Board of Internal Medicine	ABIM
American Board of Anesthesiology	ABA
American Board of Pediatrics	ABP
American Board of Pathology	ABPath
American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery	ABOHNS
American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery	ABOS
American Board of Surgery	ABS
American Board of Thoracic Surgery	ABTS

Setup Steps

Follow these steps in order. Sandbox must be fully working before requesting production credentials.

Email ACCME to request sandbox access

AMC primary contact emails [email protected] requesting a web services user account and sandbox access. Two accounts provisioned: web services account (API username + password) and UI account (browser interface). Both needed. Technical support tickets: [email protected]

Download XML specification files

Activity XML: accme.org/publications/PARS/xml-activity-upload-instructions
Learner XML: accme.org/publications/PARS/xml-learner-submission-instructions
JA-PARS: jointaccreditation.org/about-ja-pars

Every AMC CME course must be registered via SaveActivity before learner completions can be submitted. One-time per course, not per learner. Store the returned PARS Activity ID in the amc_pars_activities Postgres table.

Build and test in sandbox

ACCME provides 350+ test physician records covering all MOC boards and all 50 states. Test until SaveActivity and SaveLearnerActivity both return "Accepted" consistently. Never use real physician data in sandbox.

Request production credentials

Email [email protected] to request production credentials. Switch env vars to production URLs. Confirm first live submission returns "Accepted".

Support contacts

Purpose	Contact
Sandbox access and account provisioning	[email protected]
Technical API support tickets	[email protected]
Support hours	Monday-Friday, excluding US federal holidays and Juneteenth

Activity API

Register and manage CME course records in PARS. Must be completed before any learner completions can be submitted for that course. Real-time responses.

Base URLs

Production

https://pars.accme.org/services/ACCMEService.svc/IACCMEServiceREST

Sandbox

https://pars03nsbgateways02.azure-api.net/services/ACCMEService.svc/IACCMEServiceREST

SaveActivity - register or update a course record

POST .../IACCMEServiceREST/SaveActivity

Content-Type: application/xml; charset=utf-8. The activityRecordAction field controls Add, Update, or Delete.

XML - SaveActivity Request

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<SubmitMessage xmlns="http://schemas.datacontract.org/2004/07/BLL.Service">
  <User>[email protected]</User>
  <Password>*YOUR_WS_PASSWORD*</Password>
  <ProviderId>0008273</ProviderId>
  <ReportingYear>2026</ReportingYear>
  <Data>
  &lt;accme:ACCMEActivities
    xmlns="http://ns.medbiq.org/metrics/v2/"
    xmlns:accme="http://docs.accme.org/schemas/ACCMEActivities/v3/"
    xmlns:ex="http://www.accme.org/ACCMEActivityExtension/v3"
    xmlns:lom="http://ltsc.ieee.org/xsd/LOM"
    xmlns:hx="http://ns.medbiq.org/lom/extend/v1/"&gt;
    &lt;MedicalEducationMetrics&gt;
      &lt;ReportDescription&gt;
        &lt;ReportingStartDate&gt;2026-01-01&lt;/ReportingStartDate&gt;
        &lt;ReportingEndDate&gt;2026-12-31&lt;/ReportingEndDate&gt;
      &lt;/ReportDescription&gt;
      &lt;lom:lom&gt;
        &lt;lom:general&gt;
          &lt;lom:identifier&gt;
            &lt;lom:catalog&gt;Provider Activity ID&lt;/lom:catalog&gt;
            &lt;lom:entry&gt;AMC-HIPAA-2025-V4&lt;/lom:entry&gt;
          &lt;/lom:identifier&gt;
          &lt;lom:title&gt;&lt;lom:string&gt;HIPAA Privacy and Security for Physicians&lt;/lom:string&gt;&lt;/lom:title&gt;
        &lt;/lom:general&gt;
        &lt;hx:healthcareMetadata&gt;
          &lt;hx:healthcareEducation&gt;
            &lt;hx:credits&gt;
              &lt;hx:activityCertification&gt;AMA PRA Category 1&lt;/hx:activityCertification&gt;
              &lt;hx:numberOfCredits&gt;1.0&lt;/hx:numberOfCredits&gt;
            &lt;/hx:credits&gt;
            &lt;hx:startDateTime&gt;2026-01-01&lt;/hx:startDateTime&gt;
            &lt;hx:endDateTime&gt;2026-12-31&lt;/hx:endDateTime&gt;
            &lt;hx:activitySponsorship&gt;direct&lt;/hx:activitySponsorship&gt;
            &lt;hx:activityFormat&gt;&lt;lom:string&gt;Internet Enduring Material&lt;/lom:string&gt;&lt;/hx:activityFormat&gt;
            &lt;hx:commercialSupport&gt;no&lt;/hx:commercialSupport&gt;
          &lt;/hx:healthcareEducation&gt;
        &lt;/hx:healthcareMetadata&gt;
      &lt;/lom:lom&gt;
      &lt;XtensibleInfo&gt;
        &lt;ex:CreditClaimDate&gt;2026-12-31&lt;/ex:CreditClaimDate&gt;
        &lt;ex:ForPublicList&gt;true&lt;/ex:ForPublicList&gt;
        &lt;ex:activityRecordAction&gt;Add&lt;/ex:activityRecordAction&gt;
        &lt;ex:closeActivityRecord&gt;false&lt;/ex:closeActivityRecord&gt;
      &lt;/XtensibleInfo&gt;
    &lt;/MedicalEducationMetrics&gt;
  &lt;/accme:ACCMEActivities&gt;
  </Data>
</SubmitMessage>

GetActivity - retrieve a registered activity

POST .../IACCMEServiceREST/GetActivity

Pass the ACCME Activity ID or Provider Activity ID to retrieve the stored record and get the PARS-assigned Activity ID needed for learner submissions.

Learner API

Submit individual physician completion records. ACCME distributes to state medical licensing boards and MOC certifying boards automatically.

US-licensed physicians only. Each record submitted separately. Records cannot be edited after submission - delete and resubmit to correct errors. Learner consent is required before any submission.

Base URLs

Production

https://pars.accme.org/services/ACCMELearnerService.svc/IACCMELearnerServiceREST

Sandbox

https://pars03nsbgateways01.azure-api.net/services/ACCMELearnerService.svc/IACCMELearnerServiceREST

SaveLearnerActivity - submit a physician completion

POST .../IACCMELearnerServiceREST/SaveLearnerActivity

Real-time response. Always run LearnerMatchRequest first to avoid rejections.

XML - SaveLearnerActivity Request

<SubmitMessage xmlns="http://schemas.datacontract.org/2004/07/BLL.Service">
  <User>[email protected]</User>
  <Password>*YOUR_WS_PASSWORD*</Password>
  <ProviderId>0008273</ProviderId>
  <Data>
  &lt;ar:ACCMELearnerRecords
    xmlns:ar="http://docs.accme.org/schemas/ACCMELearnerRecords/v1/"&gt;
    &lt;ar:LearnerRecord&gt;
      &lt;ar:FirstName&gt;James&lt;/ar:FirstName&gt;
      &lt;ar:LastName&gt;Holloway&lt;/ar:LastName&gt;
      &lt;ar:DateOfBirth&gt;1975-03-22&lt;/ar:DateOfBirth&gt;
      &lt;ar:MedicalEducationNumber&gt;1234567890&lt;/ar:MedicalEducationNumber&gt;
      &lt;ar:ProviderID&gt;0008273&lt;/ar:ProviderID&gt;
      &lt;ar:ProviderActivityID&gt;AMC-HIPAA-2025-V4&lt;/ar:ProviderActivityID&gt;
      &lt;ar:AccmeActivityID&gt;12345678&lt;/ar:AccmeActivityID&gt;
      &lt;ar:DateTimeCreated&gt;2026-05-06&lt;/ar:DateTimeCreated&gt;
      &lt;ar:CompletedDateTime&gt;2026-05-06&lt;/ar:CompletedDateTime&gt;
      &lt;ar:Credits&gt;
        &lt;ar:Credit&gt;
          &lt;ar:CreditType&gt;AMA PRA Category 1 Credit&lt;/ar:CreditType&gt;
          &lt;ar:CreditAmount&gt;1.0&lt;/ar:CreditAmount&gt;
        &lt;/ar:Credit&gt;
      &lt;/ar:Credits&gt;
    &lt;/ar:LearnerRecord&gt;
  &lt;/ar:ACCMELearnerRecords&gt;
  </Data>
</SubmitMessage>

Status lifecycle

Status	Meaning
Submitted	PARS accepted the record. For MOC credit, queued for overnight transmission to certifying board.
Transmitted	Sent to certifying board. Board is applying its own validation rules.
Approved	Board accepted. Credit applied to physician file.
Rejected	Board rejected. AMC primary contact notified by email with error codes. Delete and resubmit.

New fields required in AMC Certificate Platform iframe

Field	PARS element	Required	Notes
`date_of_birth`	`ar:DateOfBirth`	Required	Most common rejection reason. Must match PARS exactly. Format: YYYY-MM-DD.
`npi`	`ar:MedicalEducationNumber`	Required	10-digit NPI. Show only for MD/DO/PA titles.
Consent checkbox	pre-condition	Required	"I consent to my CME completion being reported to ACCME PARS." Cannot submit without this.

Learner Match

Pre-validate a physician identity against PARS before submitting a completion record. Returns a single integer. Run this before every SaveLearnerActivity call.

A return value of 1 means proceed. Any other value means do not submit. This one step eliminates the majority of rejection errors.

Endpoints

Production

https://pars.accme.org/services/ACCMELearnerService.svc/IACCMELearnerServiceREST/LearnerMatchRequest

Sandbox

https://pars03nsbgateways01.azure-api.net/services/ACCMELearnerService.svc/IACCMELearnerServiceREST/LearnerMatchRequest

XML - LearnerMatchRequest

<SubmitMessage xmlns="http://schemas.datacontract.org/2004/07/BLL.Service">
  <User>[email protected]</User>
  <Password>*YOUR_WS_PASSWORD*</Password>
  <ProviderId>0008273</ProviderId>
  <Data>
  &lt;ar:LearnerMatchRequest
    xmlns:ar="http://docs.accme.org/schemas/ACCMELearnerRecords/v1/"&gt;
    &lt;ar:FirstName&gt;James&lt;/ar:FirstName&gt;
    &lt;ar:LastName&gt;Holloway&lt;/ar:LastName&gt;
    &lt;ar:DateOfBirth&gt;1975-03-22&lt;/ar:DateOfBirth&gt;
    &lt;ar:MedicalEducationNumber&gt;1234567890&lt;/ar:MedicalEducationNumber&gt;
  &lt;/ar:LearnerMatchRequest&gt;
  </Data>
</SubmitMessage>

Response interpretation

Unique match

Proceed with submission

No match

Name, DOB, or NPI incorrect

Ambiguous

Identity not specific enough

Sandbox and Testing

Build and fully test in sandbox before requesting production credentials. Never use real physician data in sandbox.

ACCME provides a CSV with 350+ test physician records covering all participating MOC boards and all 50 US states. Download after sandbox credentials are provisioned.

Sandbox endpoints

Service	Sandbox URL
Activity API	`https://pars03nsbgateways02.azure-api.net/services/ACCMEService.svc/IACCMEServiceREST`
Learner API + Match	`https://pars03nsbgateways01.azure-api.net/services/ACCMELearnerService.svc/IACCMELearnerServiceREST`
Sandbox UI	pars.accme.org - separate UI credentials provisioned by ACCME

Support ticket checklist

Environment	Sandbox or production - always specify
Full XML request	Complete payload sent, credentials redacted
Full XML response	Complete response received from PARS
API endpoint URL	The full URL called
Error codes	Any numeric codes in the response
Steps taken	What has already been tried to resolve

Error Codes

Source: ACCME PARS Web Services documentation Appendices A and B, June 2025. All rejection codes returned in real time in the response XML.

Activity record rejections - Appendix A

Code	Meaning	Fix
`100`	Invalid Provider ID	Verify AMC Provider ID is exactly 0008273
`101`	Date range invalid	startDateTime must be before endDateTime
`102`	Credit amount invalid	Must be a positive numeric matching the credit type
`103`	Invalid activity format	Must match accepted strings e.g. Internet Enduring Material
`104`	Commercial support missing	hx:commercialSupport must be yes or no
`105`	CreditClaimDate before end date	CreditClaimDate must be on or after endDateTime
`200`	MOC error - ABIM	Verify MOC credit type and points per ABIM requirements
`322`	ABOS-specific error	ABOS diplomate ID required when registering ABOS MOC activities

Learner record rejections - Appendix B

Code	Meaning	Fix
`300`	Learner not found	Run LearnerMatchRequest first. Name, DOB, or NPI does not match any PARS record.
`301`	Ambiguous identity	Matches multiple physicians - refine identifying data
`302`	Activity not found	Run SaveActivity first - activity ID does not exist in PARS
`303`	Date outside activity window	CompletedDateTime must be between startDateTime and CreditClaimDate
`304`	Duplicate record	This learner plus activity already submitted - do not resubmit
`305`	Invalid credit amount	Must exactly match activity registered credit hours
`306`	Non-US physician	PARS accepts US-licensed physicians only
`307`	Consent not recorded	Add consent checkbox to AMC Certificate Platform iframe
`310`	MOC board rejection	ACCME emails AMC primary contact with full detail and next steps

n8n Wiring

Replace node 6A (ACCME PARS Submit placeholder) in the AMC Certificate Submission Router with this 4-node sequence.

IF node

Check routing eligibility

Conditions: _routing.route_accme_pars === true AND learner.npi not empty AND learner.date_of_birth not empty. False branch skips to CE Broker node. Both NPI and DOB required - submission rejected without them.

HTTP Request node

LearnerMatchRequest - pre-validate

POST to /LearnerMatchRequest. Auth: Basic Auth using ACCME_PARS_USER and ACCME_PARS_PASSWORD from n8n credential vault. Content-Type: application/xml; charset=utf-8. Parse XML response integer. If value is not 1, route to Error Handler with match code logged.

HTTP Request node

SaveLearnerActivity - submit

POST to /SaveLearnerActivity. Same credentials. Map: ProviderID = 0008273, ProviderActivityID from course.course_id, AccmeActivityID from amc_pars_activities lookup table, CompletedDateTime = course.completion_date (date only - strip any time). "Accepted" means store credit ID and continue. "Rejected" means throw error with code.

Wait + HTTP Request node

GetLearnerStatusByCreditId - confirm

Wait 5 minutes, then POST to /GetLearnerStatusByCreditId with the credit ID from step 3. Parse status: Submitted, Approved, or Rejected. Update Postgres audit record. If Rejected, alert Advik with ACCME error codes.

Environment variables

Variable	Value	Notes
`ACCME_PARS_USER`	[email protected]	From ACCME provisioning
`ACCME_PARS_PASSWORD`	provisioned by ACCME	Store in n8n credential vault - never in code
`ACCME_PROVIDER_ID`	0008273	AMC ACCME Provider ID
`ACCME_ENV`	sandbox or production	Toggle base URLs - keep sandbox until fully tested

PARS activity registry - Postgres table

SQL - Postgres Schema

CREATE TABLE amc_pars_activities (
  amc_course_id    TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
  pars_activity_id TEXT NOT NULL,
  course_title     TEXT,
  credit_hours     NUMERIC,
  credit_type      TEXT DEFAULT 'AMA PRA Category 1 Credit',
  registered_at    TIMESTAMPTZ DEFAULT NOW()
);

INSERT INTO amc_pars_activities VALUES (
  'AMC-HIPAA-2025-V4',
  '12345678',
  'HIPAA Privacy and Security for Physicians',
  1.0,
  'AMA PRA Category 1 Credit',
  NOW()
);