PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

12-Dec-2014

Contact: Michelle Kirkwood michellek@astro.org 703-286-1600 American Society for Radiation Oncology @ASTRO_org

Fairfax, Va., December 12, 2014--The American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO's) education credentials have been recognized and upgraded by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) from Accreditation to Accreditation with Commendation, approved at the ACCME's December 2014 meeting. ASTRO's Accreditation status was renewed on March 31, 2014, for four years and has now been extended for two additional years as Accreditation with Commendation until March 31, 2020. The ACCME is the national accrediting board for all medical education organizations in the U.S. that administer courses and confer Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits to physicians and health care providers.

"ASTRO is proud to be recognized for the exceptional education programs we produce that enhance and strengthen the professional skills of the entire radiation oncology treatment team," said Bruce G. Haffty, MD, FASTRO, chair of ASTRO's Board of Directors. "To be recognized by the ACCME with 'Accreditation with Commendation' is an honor and testament to the significant depth and value of ASTRO's investment in its comprehensive education programs. ASTRO is committed to providing meaningful learning opportunities that equip the multidisciplinary treatment team with up-to-date knowledge and techniques, resulting in high quality cancer care for our patients."

Approximately 20 percent of the medical education organizations currently accredited by the ACCME have achieved "Accreditation with Commendation" status. In its December 4, 2014, notification letter to ASTRO, the ACCME commented that ASTRO is in compliance with all 22 of the ACCME's Accreditation Criteria and that ASTRO demonstrates that "yours is a learning organization and a change agent for the physicians you serve," with an "engagement with your environment in support of physician learning and change that is a part of a system for quality improvement."

ACCME accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory system that assures the public and the medical community that accredited CME provides physicians with relevant, effective education that meets their learning and practice needs. Accreditation standards ensure that CME is designed to be independent, free of commercial bias and based on valid content. The ACCME accreditation system is recognized as a national model by federal and state government agencies, other healthcare accrediting bodies and the profession of medicine.

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Founded in 1981, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) is committed to continuously improving the quality, integrity and independence of CME by accrediting the organizations and institutions that offer CME to physicians and other healthcare professionals. The ACCME's mission is to identify, develop and promote rigorous national standards for quality CME that improves physician performance and medical care for patients and their communities. There are approximately 2,000 accredited CME providers who produce more than 138,000 activities that educate more than 24 million healthcare practitioner participants annually. The ACCME's member organizations, which represent the profession of medicine and include physician licensing and credentialing bodies, are the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Association for Hospital Medical Education, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the US, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.accme.org.

ABOUT ASTRO

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ASTRO recognized with distinguished 'Accreditation with Commendation' status from ACCME