1. Home
  2. News Releases
  3. ACCME Data Report Shows Steady Growth in Accredited Continuing Medical Education–2019

ACCME Data Report Shows Steady Growth in Accredited Continuing Medical Education–2019

Educational Opportunities for Health Professionals Continue 10-year Upward Trajectory

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) is pleased to release the ACCME Data Report: Steady Growth in Accredited Continuing Medical Education–2019. The annual report includes data from a community of 1,720 accredited organizations that offer physicians, other healthcare professionals, and healthcare teams an array of continuing education resources to promote high-quality, safe, and effective care for patients. 

Key Takeaways 

  • More than 1,700 accredited continuing medical education (CME) providers offered nearly 190,000 educational activities in 2019. 
  • The number of activities, hours of instruction, and interactions with learners have increased, despite some consolidation among CME providers, continuing a 10-year trajectory of growth. 
  • This education comprised approximately 1.3 million hours of instruction and approximately 37 million interactions with healthcare professionals. 
  • Since 2018, the number of educational events has increased by 5%, hours of instruction have increased by 6%, and the number of learner interactions increased by 2%. 
  • This is the second year that other learner interactions have surpassed physician interactions. (Other learners are nonphysician healthcare professionals such as nurses and pharmacists).   

Accredited providers represent a range of organizations from large international institutions to small rural hospitals. Some specialize in local, community-based health issues, others focus on national and international health priorities, and others advance interprofessional continuing education (IPCE) and team-based care. The ACCME began accrediting organizations outside the US several years ago, and this report includes their data as well. The geographic distribution and diversity of CME providers means that clinicians and teams have access to education where they live and work that addresses local, national, and international healthcare priorities.   

"I’m inspired by the CME community as I witness our providers deliver accredited education that supports clinicians amid a global health crisis. Now more than ever, the mantra ‘learn well, save lives’ is pertinent to everything we do. As the CEO of ACCME, and as a practicing physician, I’m grateful to our providers and clinicians for working tirelessly to provide optimal healthcare for all.”—Graham McMahon, MD, MMSc, President and CEO, ACCME

Hear more from Dr. McMahon in this brief video. 

ACCME Data Report and Supplementary Resources  

ACCME  

The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®) is a nonprofit organization based in Chicago, responsible for accrediting organizations that offer continuing medical education (CME) and for recognizing state medical societies as accreditors of local CME programs. The ACCME is a cofounder of Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™. 

The ACCME sets standards for CME that reflect the values of the educator community and aim to accelerate learning, inspire change, and champion improvement in healthcare. These standards ensure that accredited CME is designed to be relevant to clinicians’ needs, evidence-based, evaluated for its effectiveness, and independent of commercial influence. Through participation in accredited CME, clinicians and teams drive improvement in their practice and optimize the care, health, and wellness of their patients. 

Accredited CME facilitates engagement with physicians and healthcare teams where they live, learn, and work. There are approximately 1,720 accredited CME providers within the ACCME System, across the country and internationally, representing a range of organizations including medical schools, hospitals/health systems, government/military agencies, specialty societies, and insurance/managed-care companies. Accredited providers offer about 190,000 activities each year, comprising more than one million hours of instruction and including approximately 37 million interactions with physicians and other healthcare professionals. 

For more information, visit www.accme.org. You can also follow the ACCME on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.