The ACCME
(Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education) produced an Accreditation with Commendation
emblem that is included on the accreditation certificate sent to those ACCME-accredited providers that
achieve Accreditation with Commendation. Overall, approximately 21% of ACCME-accredited providers that
have been evaluated under the Accreditation Criteria have achieved Accreditation with Commendation.
1The ACCME encourages CME providers to celebrate their success in
achieving Accreditation with Commendation by informing their community, stakeholders, and the public.
In addition, the Accreditation with Commendation emblem may be used by only ACCME-accredited providers.
State-accredited providers may not use this emblem.
On April 5, 2013, Gulfcoast Ultrasound Institute announced that we had been resurveyed by the Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and awarded Accreditation with Commendation for six (6)
years as a provider of continuing medical education for physicians.
ACCME accreditation seeks to assure the medical community and the public that Gulfcoaskskskkasjhnshsht Ultrasound Institute
provides physicians with relevant, effective, practice-based continuing medical education that that supports
US health care quality improvement.
The ACCME employs a rigorous, multilevel process for evaluating institutions' continuing medical
education programs according to the high accreditation standards adopted by all seven ACCME member
organizations. These organizations of medicine in the US are 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 US, Inc.
The ACCME is accountable to the public for setting and maintaining accreditation requirements designed to
ensure that CME accredited within the ACCME system is based on valid content, is free from commercial influence or
bias, and contributes to the quality and safety of health care. As the US health care system continues
to evolve, the ACCME will respond by making changes to its requirements or processes that are necessary to
assure that CME serves the best interests of the public.
The ACCME's mission is the identification, development, and promotion of standards for quality continuing
medical education (CME) utilized by physicians in their maintenance of competence and incorporation of new
knowledge to improve quality medical care for patients and their communities2.
The ACCME accreditation system is based on a model of self-regulation, peer evaluation, and quality assurance.
The ACCME has a rigorous, multilevel process for making accreditation and reaccreditation decisions. These decisions
are determined through a review by two ACCME committees: first, the Accreditation Review Committee, and second,
the Decision Committee of the Board of Directors. All accreditation decisions are then ratified by the full Board of Directors.
Throughout the process, the ACCME staff members provide support and guidance to committee members. This multi-tiered process
provides the checks and balances necessary to ensure fair and accurate decisions. The ACCME implements quality-control
measures to ensure that accreditation decisions are consistent and impartial.
Accredited providers are reviewed every four or six years. Each year, the ACCME reviews approximately 200 CME providers,
representing about 30 percent of the provider pool. As another measure of accountability, the ACCME has a Process for
Handling Complaints Regarding ACCME-Accredited Providers to respond to complaints from the public and the CME community
about ACCME-accredited providers’ compliance with accreditation requirements. If an accredited provider's compliance is
called into question, either through the complaints process or another means, the ACCME may initiate monitoring procedures in
addition to the standard accreditation review process.
As the health care environment evolves, the ACCME responds by taking steps to increase the transparency and accountability of
the ACCME accreditation system, to strengthen the requirements concerning CME’s independence from commercial influence,
and to accelerate the enforcement of those requirements3.
Why CME Accreditation is Important
The fields of science and medicine never stop moving forward—and neither should physicians.
Whether physicians work in clinical care, research, health care administration, or other areas of
medicine, accredited CME is tailored to their needs and their patients' needs. Accredited CME addresses
every medical specialty, covering the full range of topics important to health care improvement.
Here are just a few examples: medical errors prevention, chronic disease treatment, cancer care,
women's health, children's health, veterans care, physician-family communication skills, and prescription drug abuse prevention.
Participation in accredited CME helps physicians meet requirements for maintenance of licensure, maintenance of specialty board certification,
credentialing, membership in professional societies, and other professional privileges4.