Reaccreditation Reaffirms ASCP as Premier CME Provider

ASCP reaffirmed its position as the premier CME provider for pathologists in July when the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) awarded it “Accreditation with Commendation.” This prestigious designation means that ASCP has exceeded the standards for being reaccredited.

The Society was granted six-year accreditation, the longest term that ACCME allows. Accreditation with Commendation is based on commendable and exemplary practices and is awarded to only about 21 percent of all accredited CME providers. ASCP has received six consecutive six-year accreditations, beginning in 1983.

“Education is one of the major activities of ASCP,” says Melissa Upton, MD, FASCP, Chair of the Commission for Continuing Professional Development, who participated in ASCP’s reaccreditation process. “This is a very significant achievement.”

William “Wes” Schreiber, MD, FASCP, former Chair of the Commission and now a member of the ASCP’s Board of Directors’ Executive Committee, and Karen Brown, MS, MLS(ASCP)^CM, also participated in the ASCP reaccreditation process.

In its findings, the ASCP demonstrated the following:

• Numerous collaborative agreements with other pathology societies and medical organizations that strengthen their shared missions of interdisciplinary education, scientific discovery, and advocacy.

• Expansive CME activities, from glass slide-based activities and online activities to live education events, which include large lectures, small seminars, and hands-on sessions.

• Strict adherence to ACCME Standards for Commercial Support to ensure ASCP’s CME activities are free of commercial bias.

• A strong evaluation process is in place to identify professional practice gaps and respond to those gaps through the development of new CME activities.

ACCME accreditation seeks to assure both physicians and the public that continuing medical education activities provided by ASCP meet the high standards of the Essential Areas, Elements, and Policies for Accreditation as specified by the ACCME. The ACCME rigorously evaluates the overall continuing medical education programs of institutions according to standards adopted by all seven member organizations of the ACCME. These include the American Board of Medical Specialties; the American Hospital Association; the American Medical Association; the Association for Hospital Medical Education; the Association of American Medical Colleges; the Council of Medical Specialty Societies; and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S., Inc.