Lowell General Hospital Medical Education/Library Committee Information

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Lowell General Hospital Medical Education/Library Committee Information

This is a tool for Lowell General Hospital MELC members to explore and understand the workings of CME.

Committee Charge

Click here to see the MELC Committee Charge from the Lowell General Hospital Medical Staff Policies.

Our Accrediting Body

Lowell General Hospital is accredited by the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS), which sets forth requirements for all CME programs in our state.

Recognized by the Committee for Review and Recommendation of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) as an intrastate accrediting body, the Massachusetts Medical Society certifies that Lowell General Hospital has fulfilled the requirements set forth in the Essential Areas for Providers of Continuing Medical Education. This entitles Lowell General to the award AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ in Continuing Medical Education for a period of six years.

MMS CME resources can be found here.

Of particular importance to MELC members are the MMS Essentials and Standards. These are the "rules of the road" for conduct of CME activities at Lowell General Hospital.

The MMS is accredited in turn by the ACCME.

ACCME

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education accredits all AMA Physician's Recognition Award Category 1™ CME in the nation.

There are two types of CME-- Category 1 and Category 2. Category 1 is the type of CME we offer, i.e. structured learning based on gaps and needs identified by our organization.

Category 2 CME is CME individuals do on their own, such as reading journals or viewing medical programs.

Commercial Relationships

Of particular importance to the Lowell General Hospital program is strict adherence to the ACCME Standards of Commercial Support. These standards are in place to erect a "firewall" between commercial interests and the planning, execution, and actual content of what is presented under the auspices of accredited CME.

These standards govern every aspect of CME.

Additionally, Massachusetts has enacted a law that holds commercially related presenters of CME activities to rigorous conduct. The Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Conduct law is something all CME committee members should review.

Our CME Page

Our Internet CME page is cutting edge.

We remain the only community hospital in Massachusetts to offer fully accredited in-house produced streaming video CME, and we are currently a pioneer in the area of "Point of Care" learning. While other community hospitals produce streaming video CME, often their resources are supplied by "Medical Education Communications Companies" or "MECCs." MECCs have come under increased scrutiny by the Senate Finance Committee, and recent report calls into question the validity of MECC involvement in CME.