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72 Delores J. Rodgers, Diane Burkhart, and W. Douglas Ward chapter 6 The American Osteopathic Association Continuing Medical Education Program The American Osteopathic Association (AOA), originally called the American Association for the Advancement of Osteopathy, was founded in 1887. The name was o≈cially changed to the AOA in 1901. The AOA is a member association representing more than 70,000 osteopathic physicians , or doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs), as of July 2010. The AOA serves as the primary certifying body for osteopathic physicians and is the accrediting agency for all osteopathic medical colleges and residency training programs. The AOA mission is to advance the philosophy and practice of osteopathic medicine by promoting excellence in education, research, and the delivery of quality, cost-e√ective health care within a distinct, unified profession.∞ The objectives of the AOA are to promote public health, to encourage scientific research, and to maintain and improve highstandardsofosteopathicmedicaleducation.≤ Governance There are four governing bodies that provide oversight to the AOA program of continuing medical education (CME). The AOA House of Delegates is the policymaking body of the AOA that is responsible for establishing the overall direction for the AOA and its programs. The board of trustees is an executive body of the House of Delegates responsible for the day-to-day operations of AOA programs and policy. The Bureau of Osteopathic Education (BOE) serves as a reviewing body of existing policy documents or of proposed policy changes originating within the Council on Continuing Medical Education (CCME). In this capacity, the bureau makes recommendations to the AOA board for its final action. The CCME is responsible for recommending administrative changes in the CME program, determining category credit for CME courses, reviewing document surveys for accreditation decisions, and determining decisions on individual member requests for CME waivers and exemptions. The CCME also responds to requests by CME sponsors for clarification of CME policies. CME policy, changes to policy, clarifications on CME, and frequently asked questions are published through a variety of recognized methods of communications and osteopathic publications such as The DO, a monthly magazine containing news of the osteopathic profession and its members; the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association ( JAOA); and periodic newsletters from the CCME chair to sponsors and other stakeholders. In July 1979, the AOA board of trustees was designated to be the only body entitled to establish accreditation policy for osteopathic CME sponsors. All policy recommendations originate from the CCME and move forward to the BOE. American Osteopathic Association / Rodgers, Burkhart, Ward 73 The BOE reports its deliberations and actions directly to the AOA board of trustees, which serves as the final decision body for policy change. The primary and continuing function of the sta√ of the AOA department of CME is to implement the regulations, guidelines, and procedures of the CME program, as approved, guided, and directed by the council and its chairman. It is the responsibility of sta√ to handle all data recording as quickly as possible, reply to all correspondence as soon as it is received, and allow as little time as possible to lapse between the time correspondence is received and data are permanently recorded. All correspondence is coded and permanently filed through microfilming. Establishment of Osteopathic CME Before the AOA adopted requirements for CME, the osteopathic profession had a long history of instituting CME requirements for state licensure for osteopathic physicians practicing in the state. It appears that Michigan was the first state to require CME as early as 1949. DOs practicing in Arizona, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, and West Virginia were required by state legislation to complete CME to assure the public that DOs were up-to-date in medical knowledge and skills.≥ In 1950, the American College of General Practitioners in Osteopathic Medicine required an annual postgraduate requirement for CME. The osteopathic profession relied on the state licensure system to require CME for its physicians until a resolution came for discussion and approval to the House of Delegates in 1972. At that time, it was agreed that CME needed to be expanded for osteopathic physicians in order to meet the rapid advancement of modern medical practice. During the 1950s and 1960s, public and professional interest grew in regard to establishing professional standards throughout the United States. This was especially true in the field of medicine. In the 1960s, the AOA Bureau of Professional Education (BPE) became recognized as the accrediting body for the DO degree, and...

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