News Releases

Chicago, IL

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME^®) is pleased to announce that it has recognized the substantial equivalency of the continuing medical education (CME) accreditation system of the Federation of the German Chambers of Physicians.

Substantial equivalency is a relationship between CME accreditors based on shared principles and values, while recognizing and accepting differences. The purpose of substantial equivalency is to foster international collaboration among CME accreditors, facilitate continuous improvement in accreditation, expand opportunities for physicians and teams to participate in high-quality CME around the world, and promote education that contributes to healthcare improvement for patients and their communities.

To achieve this recognition, the German Chambers of Physicians completed a rigorous evaluation process, demonstrating that its accreditation standards advance high-quality, effective CME. CME providers are required to base their education on needs assessment, measure the effectiveness of their educational activities, design educational content that meets accepted standards of scientific integrity, and ensure that education is free of commercial bias and influence.

The recognition builds on the ongoing collaborative relationship between the German Chambers of Physicians and the ACCME. Last year, the German Medical Association recognized the equivalency of CME providers in the ACCME System following an assessment of the ACCME by the German Medical Association. This recognition applies to live, in-person CME activities.

“I commend the German Chambers of Physicians for its commitment to building collaboration and advancing the quality of CME. Clinicians learn best when they are able to choose from a diverse array of activities that are relevant to and meet their needs. Collaboration among accreditors and harmonization of accreditation standards across borders supports the mobility of clinicians, and gives them more choices and flexibility in pursuing lifelong learning. We look forward to working together with the German Chambers and our communities of CME providers and clinicians to leverage the power of education to improve healthcare for the patients we serve.” — Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME

“CME represents not only a challenge, but also an opportunity for physicians all over the world. In times of globalization, we have to globalize our efforts as well. We are happy to open up new opportunities for colleagues from the US, as well as for German physicians in the US. We are pleased to work with the ACCME in the interest of our colleagues and our patients.” — Prof. Dr. Frank U. Montgomery, President, German Medical Association (BÄK)

Media Inquiries

Tamar Hosansky
312-245-4066
thosansky@accme.org

Megan Peters Jovic
312-245-4054
mpeters@accme.org

Other Inquiries
info@accme.org

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About the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME^®) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, responsible for accrediting institutions 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 159,000 activities each year, comprising more than one million hours of instruction and including more than 27 million interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals.

For more information, visit www.accme.org. You can also follow the ACCME on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.