Geneva, IL – April 4, 2006. By receiving accreditation this year from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery (ISHRS) – the largest international medical association of hair restoration physicians and surgical assistants – can now designate its educational activities with AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
"This accreditation represents a significant milestone for the ISHRS," said Paul T. Rose, MD, JD, president of the ISHRS. "Thanks to the diligent work of many society members and committed staff who made this accreditation possible, participants at our activities can be assured that they are receiving high quality continuing medical education (CME) that has met the rigorous standards of the ACCME. Most importantly, for patients it means a commitment to improving patient care and treatment outcomes."
The purpose of the ISHRS's CME program is to meet the educational needs of its members by providing practice-oriented, scientifically-based educational activities that will maintain and advance skills, knowledge, and attitudes as well as promote lifelong learning for its members. CME activities result in enhanced patient care by enabling participants to make more precise diagnoses, refine surgical skills and to reduce or eliminate medical and surgical complications.
The first activity that the ISHRS will sanction for credit will be the enduring material currently in production, the 2006 ISHRS Basics in Hair Restoration Surgery Lecture Series. Designed to provide core didactic information for physicians new to the field, the lectures will be available in CD-ROM computer format. This comprehensive lecture series will be a complementary adjunct to the hands-on, full-day Basics Course held at the annual scientific meeting, and copies will be available for purchase by ISHRS members and non-members beginning in October 2006. In addition, the Society's 14th Annual Scientific Meeting – taking place October 18-22, 2006, in San Diego, CA – will also be designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Previously, the ISHRS's educational programs received CME credits through the American Academy of Dermatology.
Founded in 1993, the ISHRS is a non-profit medical association dedicated to the advancement of the art and science of hair restoration. With a membership of over 600 physicians worldwide, the ISHRS provides continuing medical education to physicians specializing in hair loss, hair transplant and restoration surgery and serves as a resource for the public on the latest medical and surgical hair restoration treatments for hair loss. For more information and to locate a physician, visit www.ishrs.org.