Academy CME Program Honored for Excellence

The AAFP recently received an Accreditation with Commendation for Excellence designation from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, or ACCME.

The designation demonstrates that the Academy's CME program exceeds ACCME standards. Only 8 percent of all ACCME-accredited programs receive accreditation with commendation, according to the organization.

The honor "means that not only did we pass the basic requirements that they would expect in an organization -- in terms of our mission and our ability to assess learner needs, then plan activities around those needs and evaluate outcomes -- but that we also exhibited a level of effectiveness that goes above and beyond," said Mindi McKenna, Ph.D., M.B.A., director of the AAFP Division of Continuing Medical Education.

During the accreditation period from 2001 to early 2007, the Academy offered 7,287.5 hours of CME instruction. Nearly 534,000 physicians and more than 25,250 nonphysicians participated in the activities, which included 222 live group sessions; one live Internet activity; four performance improvement activities; 64 Internet-based activities; 159 print, audio and video activities; and 11 journal-based activities.

The Academy will undergo ACCME review again in 2013.

"Normally, CME provider organizations are accredited for four years," said McKenna. "But if the ACCME, in its review process, determines that an organization is worthy to be designated as accredited with commendation, they extend the cycle to six years."