WVU School of Medicine’s Office of Continuing Medical Education receives reaccreditation

West Virginia University School of Medicine’s Office of Continuing Medical Education recently received reaccreditation with commendation from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

The goal of the Office of Continuing Medical Education is to offer Continuing Medical Education (CME) activities to physicians and other health care providers in West Virginia and the surrounding region. These activities, offered at primary clinical campuses, outreach sites and other various locations, aim to assist providers in maintaining and enhancing their clinical competence in order to promote high quality health care.

“Continuing education is an important division in the department of medical education,” said Dr. Norman D. Ferrari III. “The ACCME accreditation ensures that our continuing education activities provide high quality opportunities for practicing physicians in the state and region to earn the credits necessary to maintain licensure.”

Ferrari, chair of the department of medical education, also said the accreditation helps practicing physicians stay up to date on medical advances and best practices as they care for patients and teach the next generation of providers.

The most recent annual data submitted to the ACCME from the WVU School of Medicine includes 133 individual activities, offering 2,525 hours of instruction, 23,097 physician participants and 10,307 non-physician learners.

Kari L. Long, director of continuing education, noted the efforts involved to obtain the commendation status.

“Accreditation with commendation is a highly sought after designation. It takes an institutional effort to meet the rigorous requirements of this highest designation,” Long said. “From the members of the Office of Continuing Education to the physician activity directors and the department coordinators, everyone contributes to ensure the criteria are met for each and every activity.”

Accredited organizations are responsible for demonstrating that they meet requirements for delivering independent CME that accelerates learning, change and improvement in healthcare. The ACCME accredits organizations that provide continuing medical education for physicians.

WVU School of Medicine’s accreditation with the ACCME is valid now through Nov. 30, 2025.

For more information, contact Kari Long by phone at 304-293-3937 or by email at kalong@hsc.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

wh/12/16/19

CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Senior Communications Specialist
Health Sciences Center

304-293-9528; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu