The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), a leader in developing high-quality continuing educational programming for pharmacists, was recently awarded reaccreditation as a provider of educational programs for physicians by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

ASHP is the only national pharmacy association accredited by ACCME to offer continuing medical education (CME).

ASHP through its ASHP Advantage division has presented several CME activities, including an educational symposium during the 2007 annual meeting of the American College of Surgeons. CME is also available on the ASHP Web site and in print supplements to the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. CME program topics include the safe use of oral chemotherapy agents in cancer treatment, improvement in controlling glucose levels in hospitalized patients, and the safe and appropriate use of contrast media in hospital settings.

"Every day pharmacists and physicians collaborate to care for patients in our nation's hospitals and health systems," said ASHP Executive Vice President and CEO Henri R. Manasse, Jr., Ph.D., Sc.D. "Our ACCME accreditation allows us to build on this important partnership as we offer educational programs to help physicians remain up-to-date on safe and appropriate medication therapy."

To be granted reaccreditation, ASHP was required to demonstrate compliance with the ACCME Essential Areas and their elements and policies, including the Standards for Commercial Support.

ASHP has been an accredited provider of continuing education for pharmacists since 1980. More than 50,000 pharmacists annually receive continuing education from the Society's diverse offerings, including two national meetings, the Summer and Midyear Clinical meetings, single-subject conferences and articles in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.

About ASHP

For more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 30,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, ashp, or its consumer Web site, SafeMedication.

American Society of Health-System Pharmacists