Accreditation, Certification, and Licensure: How Six General Competencies are Influencing Medical Education and Patient Care

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lifelong learning and self-assessment are tenets of medical education and health care improvement; quality and patient safety care are essential to the accreditation of organizations providing either continuing medical education (CME) or patient care; accredited CME providers must assess the learning needs of physicians: Accredited health care organizations must document physician participation in education that relates to the nature of care, treatment and services provided by the hospital. The credentialing and privileging of medical staff requires ongoing focused professional practice evaluation based on six general competencies, including compassionate care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, effective communication, demonstrated professionalism and coordinated systems-based practice. As those charged with assessment and program evaluation are challenged to produce valid and reliable results to improve education and health care, United States licensing authorities are defining good medical practice and considering competency-based maintenance of licenses. The present paper offers a framework to advance the discussion of relative value credits for gains assessed in knowledge, competence and performance of physicians. A more synchronized and aligned consortium of medical licensing boards, specialty boards and organizations granting practice privileges is recommended to inform the design of education and physician assessment to assure quality and patient safety.