The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) has shared the following press release for your review:

The ACCME is pleased to release Advancing CME to Optimize Care: 2018-2019 Highlights from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME(R)). The year-in-review report describes the ACCME and continuing medical education (CME) community's initiatives to advance quality learning for healthcare professionals the drives improvements in patient care.

* Through collaborations with state medical society accreditors, the ACCME provides education and resources to sustain local CME and a vibrant state-accreditation system.

* The ACCME expanded collaborations with accreditors, certifying boards, licensing boards, and government agencies, enabling clinicians to engage in education that counts for multiple requirements, reducing burdens and increasing flexibility.

* Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education (TM) welcomed four more professions, giving jointly accredited organizations the option to offer team-based education for seven professions without needing separate accreditations.

* By participating in national public health initiatives, the ACCME and the educator community leverage the power of accredited CME to address the opioid crisis.

With its new website, international collaborations, research opportunities, and more advanced data system, the ACCME aims to promote an even more dynamic CME enterprise that is ready to adapt to the changing educational needs of clinician-learners today and in the future.

The ACCME published Advancing CME to Optimize Care, as part of its effort to build visibility for the CME community and communicate the value of accreditation and accredited CME.

"I look forward to our continued collaborations and growth, as we work together toward realizing our vision of a world where our community of educators supports clinicians in delivering optimal healthcare for all." - Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, ACCME President and CEO

Download the report here (http://www.accme.org/publications/2018-2019-highlights-report).

ACCME

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME(R)) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, responsible for accrediting organizations that offer continuing medical education (CME) and for recognizing state medical societies as accreditors of local CME programs.

The ACCME sets standards for CME that reflect the values of the educator community and aim to accelerate learning, inspire change, and champion improvement in healthcare. These standards ensure that accredited CME is designed to be relevant to clinicians' needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness, and independent of commercial influence. Through participation in accredited CME, clinicians and teams drive improvement in their practice and optimize the care, health, and wellness of their patients.

Accredited CME facilitates engagement with physicians and healthcare teams where they live, learn, and work. There are approximately 1,800 accredited CME providers within the ACCME System, across the country and internationally, representing a range of organizations including medical schools, hospitals/health systems, government/military agencies, specialty societies, and insurance/managed-care companies. Accredited providers offer about 163,000 activities each year, comprising more than one million hours of instruction and including more than 28 million interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals.