About Us

About Our Continuing Medical Education

Houston Methodist is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Purpose and Vision

The Office of Continuing Medical Education at Houston Methodist promotes the continued professional development of physicians in order to deliver the safest, highest quality and most effective patient care. The CME program conducts appropriate assessments of a learner’s needs and develops effective strategies to enhance physician performance in patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, professionalism, and systems-based practice. Houston Methodist believes that learning, rather than teaching, initiates changes and improvements in practice. We are committed to quality and patient safety and to fostering an educational continuum to encourage and stimulate physicians as lifelong learners, which will enable quality, patient safety and the most effective patient care.

Content

As a spiritually-based institution, the activities at Houston Methodist aim to address the patient's overall needs in a manner that enhances the quality of the healing relationship. Activities are updated regularly to capitalize on new developments that will enhance the medical knowledge, skills and clinical performance of participants. The content of CME activities concentrates on disciplines in which Houston Methodist has recognized excellence.

Quality and patient safety are foundational elements irrespective of the medical disciplines involved. The in-house regularly scheduled series, which are focused in academic departments corresponding to the clinical strengths of Houston Methodist, are designed to ensure our practitioners remain at the cutting edge of science and medicine.

Educational Audience

Houston Methodist CME activities are available for a variety of potential participants:

• Physicians on the staffs of Houston Methodist institutions and affiliates
• Physicians who practice in the Greater Houston area and the state of Texas
• Physicians in other regions of the United States and international venues
• Medical educators and clinical researchers at the local, regional, national and international levels

Types of Activities Offered

The CME program offers a wide variety of educational formats:

• Regularly scheduled series
• Live course and workshops
• Enduring self-study activities that include print, electronic and Internet-based activities
• Jointly-sponsored activities in collaboration with extramural organizations of recognized merit

All activities are planned and implemented based on a multifactorial needs assessment. Selection of educational design and methods is based on identified needs, content, educational objectives, activity evaluation and outcomes assessment strategies. This includes, whenever possible, methodologies that have demonstrated effectiveness in changing physician behavior and improving health care outcomes.

Expected Results of the Program

The activities of the CME program are expected to provide high-quality results:

• Address identified priorities in quality and patient safety (both local and national)
• Guide and support the professionalism of all participants
• Enhance physicians' ability to improve their medical competence and their performance in practice
• Improve the outcomes of patients' health

The outcomes of the activities are assessed based on participant-focused and institutional-focused results. The program uses appropriate measures and techniques to assess learner gains and institutional results. These results are measured with quantitative and qualitative data to assess parameters appropriate to the learning experience:

• Change in knowledge levels
• Participant attitudes
• Perceived self-efficacy in clinical application
• Skill levels in performing clinical tasks
• Impact on physician performance and/or health outcomes as determined through chart reviews, patient interviews, institutional reports on clinical performance measures and other data

The CME program operates in an academic health care environment and is continuously evaluated to assure alignment with its mission and its effectiveness in planning, implementing, evaluating and documenting all CME activities sponsored by Houston Methodist, and its compliance with the requirements of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and other applicable regulatory agencies.

For Additional Information

Contact us: 713.441.4971, CME@houstonmethodist.org