NORTHAMPTON, MA — March 26, 2003 — Healthcare Management University (HMU), the continuing medical education (CME) division of HealthCommunities.com, Inc., has been awarded full accreditation for four years by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) as a provider of CME for physicians. CME is a $1.3 billion industry in the United States and provides physicians and health care professionals with required ongoing training and skills development. CME providers seek to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and competency of physicians by offering programs in basic medical sciences, clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the public.
Accreditation signifies that CME activities provided by HMU meet the high standards of the Essential Areas, Elements and Policies for Accreditation specified by the ACCME. CME programs are rigorously evaluated by the ACCME according to standards adopted by its sponsoring organizations (American Board of Medical Specialties; American Hospital Association; American Medical Association; Association for Hospital Medical Education; Association of American Medical Colleges; Council of Medical Specialty Societies; Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S., Inc.). Fewer than 700 organizations nationally are accredited CME providers.
"We are proud to have HMU accredited by the ACCME," said Jeff Mazzarella, president of HealthCommunities.com. "This enables HealthCommunities.com to continue providing high quality, innovative medical education programs to our over 8,000 physician members."
HealthCommunities.com, Inc., a privately held company founded in 1998, provides innovative resources for health care consumers and professionals. The company's medical specialty Web channels, in partnership with leading pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, serve health care consumers searching for reliable information. HealthCommunities.com is a Physician Developed and Monitored® online community providing medical information and resources in a trusted environment.
