After a comprehensive review of DMU’s educational activities, the Iowa Medical Society (IMS) awarded Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) provisional accreditation to the University as a recognized provider of continuing medical education (CME) through April 2015. Provisional accreditation is the status given to first-time accredited CME providers. This accreditation allows the University to designate educational activities for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
“This accreditation recognizes DMU’s commitment to lifelong learning by providing quality, evidence-based educational opportunities that are designed to enhance the competence, performance, and patient outcomes of compassionate health professionals,” said Vanessa Ross, CMP, Manager of Continuing Medical Education.
Achieving accreditation involved a two-year process that included a pre-application, a self-study report, an on-site educational activity audit and a survey conducted by IMS representatives Douglas Dorner, M.D., of UnityPoint Health in Des Moines, and Michael Romano, M.D., of Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. In its thorough review of DMU, the IMS Committee on CME Accreditation found the University meets all accreditation criteria, including having a CME mission statement, an evidence-based orientation and independence from commercial interests.
The IMS concluded DMU meets the high accreditation standards adopted by all seven member organizations of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the Chicago-based nonprofit organization responsible for accrediting U.S. institutions that offer CME – allopathic and osteopathic – through a voluntary self-regulatory system. Member organizations include the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges.
DMU delivers an average of 118 CME activities annually, including live events, distance learning opportunities, enduring materials and grand rounds, reaching an average of more than 2,100 learners.
