Stevens Hospital was recently awarded accreditation to provide continuing medical education for physicians by the Washington State Medical Association (WSMA). Being an accredited provider of continuing medical education assures the public and physicians that educational activities sponsored by Stevens Hospital meet the standards established by the WSMA and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the hospital said.

Accredited continuing medical educational activities provided by Stevens Hospital can be used by physicians to meet their state licensure requirements as well as some of the recertification requirements for many specialty boards. Washington state requires physicians to have 200 hours of continuing medical education every four years in order to renew their license to practice medicine.

The WSMA is recognized by the ACCME to accredit hospitals and other organizations to provide continuing medical education programs for physicians locally. The ACCME oversees continuing medical education nationally. Its sponsoring organizations include the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Board of Medical Specialties, and the Association for Hospital Medical Education, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, and the Federation of State Medical Boards.