ASPS Receives Highest ACCME Accreditation Possible

asps

For a long time, I’ve been a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)—an established organization within the plastic surgery community that is dedicated to advancing quality patient care by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery. I’ve always been proud to be affiliated with the ASPS, and this week, I was given yet another reason to feel that way: they have just been awarded with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)’s “Accreditation with Commendation” distinction.

The “Accreditation with Commendation” designation is ACCME’s highest level of accreditation status, and according to ASPS President Malcolm Z. Roth, MD, “fewer than 29 percent of the 690 ACCME-accredited CME providers have received this designation.”

What matters more to me here, however, is not the recognition itself, but what the ASPS has done to earn it. ACCME only awards “Accreditation with Commendation” to organizations that deserve it; their vetting process can take more than one year to complete. In order to earn this distinction, then, the ASPS had to thoroughly demonstrate that they are constantly working to improve their members’ professional practices, both through educational offerings and collaborative efforts.

As a plastic surgeon whose number one priority is to provide my patients with the highest-quality care possible, I’m happy to be able to say that I belong to an organization that is a leading provider of continuing medical education within the plastic surgery community. Congratulations on your new accreditation status, ASPS!