ACCME Accreditation Program
Using a framework of equivalency, to ensure that all accredited CME providers are held to the same standards, the ACCME recognizes state and territory medical societies as accreditors of CME providers that offer continuing education programs to local healthcare providers. The New Hampshire Medical Society (NHMS) has been a recognized state medical society accreditor to CME providers in New Hampshire and Vermont since 1976. The major purposes of the NHMS accreditation system continue to be: establishing criteria for the evaluation of educational programs and their activities, assessing whether accredited organizations meet and maintain ACCME standards, promoting organizational self-assessment and improvement, and recognizing excellence.
The NHMS Council on Education (COE) fulfills its mission through a voluntary, self-regulated system for accrediting CME providers and a peer-review process responsive to changes in medical education and the healthcare delivery system. The primary responsibilities of the NHMS COE are to:
- Set and administer standards and criteria for providers of quality CME for physicians and related professionals
- Certify that accredited providers are capable of meeting the requirements of the Essential Areas
- Relate CME to medical care and the continuum of medical education
The New Hampshire Medical Society’s Council on Education (COE) Mission is the identification, development, and promotion of standards for quality continuing medical education (CME) used by physicians in their maintenance of competence and to incorporate new knowledge to improve quality medical care for patients and their communities.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of its policies
- Assist providers in continually improving their programs and thereby
- Assure physicians, the public, and the CME community that CME programs meet the NHMS COE criteria for compliance with the Essential Areas
Our Council on Education is made up of volunteer members who also serve as site surveyors. Initial accreditation is typically approved for two years, and re-accreditation is for a four-year term. If you are interested in applying for accreditation as a CME provider, please review the documents in the Accreditation Library below. If you have questions about the accreditation process, the costs involved, or the status of our providers, please contact Mary West.
