Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) conducts an
intrastate voluntary accreditation program for organizations
providing continuing medical education (CME). By evaluating and granting
recognition to an organization whose CME program substantially
complies with the Essential Areas, the MMS seeks to improve the quality of CME
and to assist physicians in identifying CME programs which meet these
standards.
There are certain elements of organization,
structure, and method, which appear to contribute significantly to the
development of continuing medical education. They are presented in the
Essential Areas and their Elements. The Essential Areas are made up of those
requirements, which a provider must substantially meet for accreditation.
It is important to note that the MMS does not
accredit individual CME activities, but institutions and organizations for
their overall program of CME. The overall program consists, at least in part,
of ongoing educational activities, developed according to the Essential Areas,
which provide direct teacher-participant interaction.
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
As defined by the American Medical Association, continuing medical education consists
of education activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the
knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a
physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession.
The content of CME is that body of knowledge and skills generally recognized
and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the
discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the
public.
This broad definition of CME recognizes that all-continuing
educational activities, which assist physicians in carrying out their
professional responsibilities more effectively and efficiently, are CME. A
course in management would be appropriate CME for physicians responsible for
managing a health care facility; a course in educational methodology would be
appropriate CME for physicians teaching in a medical school; a course in
practice management would be appropriate for practitioners interested in
providing better service to patients.
Not all-continuing educational activities that
physicians may engage in, however, are CME. Physicians may participate in
worthwhile education activities, which are not related directly to their
professional work, and these activities may not be eligible for CME credit.
Continuing education activities, which respond to a physician’s
non-professional educational needs or interests such as personal financial
planning, and appreciation of literature or music, are not eligible for CME
credit.
The following definitions will be useful in
reviewing the Essential Areas and in gaining an understanding of the
accreditation process:
CME Accreditation: The recognition accorded to eligible
institutions and organizations, which meet the criteria outlined in the
Essential Areas.
Accreditation assures physicians and the public
that CME activities meet accepted standards of education.
Accreditation is granted on the basis of the
provider's demonstrated ability to plan and
implement CME activities in accordance with the Essential Areas. The provider’s
overall program may include occasional CME activities that do not fully meet
the standards for needs assessment, well-defined objectives, curricular design
and evaluation. These activities through its organization should identify those
CME activities within its overall program, which meet the Essential Areas.
CME Activity: A coherent education offering that is based
upon defined needs, and explicit objectives, educational content, and methods.
Essential Areas: The document, which provides information
regarding MMS accreditation and the standards, which must substantially be met
for a provider of CME to be accredited.
Download the
Massachusetts Medical Society Essential Areas and their Elements (PDF). Link will open a new window.
The PDF format requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, available from Adobe's website.
Participant: A physician engaged in CME.
Provider (or Sponsor): An institution or organization assuming
responsibility for CME.
For more information, contact:
Massachusetts Medical Society
860 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451
(781) 434-7306
MedicalEducation@mms.org
