Continuing Medical Education (CME)
What is Continuing Medical Education (CME)?
Continuing Medical Education (CME) involves educational activities that develop, maintain, or increase the skills, knowledge, professional performance, and relationships a physician uses when providing services.
In most cases, CME refers to educational events that are approved for CME credits. The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) oversees and enforces standards for CME in the U.S. Only organizations approved by ACCME or by a state medical association recognized by the ACCME can designate and award credit to physicians.
Some states require a certain number of annual credits for healthcare providers to maintain medical licenses. Additionally, most hospitals require a certain number of credits for their physicians to still be able to see patients.
Why is CME important in healthcare?
CME is important to healthcare because these educational events focus on helping healthcare professionals provide comprehensive, high-quality, and continuous patient care and service. This results in better patient care and overall improvements in the healthcare professional’s ability to keep their patients healthy.
With the continuous innovations in the medical field, CME ensures that physicians are always up to date on the newest advances so that they can continue providing quality care to their patients.