Advancing its mission to provide quality-learning opportunities for healthcare practitioners in the state of Qatar and to develop strategic international affiliations, Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners – Accreditation Department (QCHP-AD) has signed a "Credit Conversion" agreement with the American Medical Association (AMA), the prestigious and well-recognized Continuing Medical Education accreditation body.
The agreement recognizes QCHP-AD accreditation process as meeting the AMA's core requirements for equivalency with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
This will enable physicians to convert selected CPD credits gained here in Qatar to their AMA equivalent. Points collected in Qatar as QCHP-AD CPD credits, earned through participation in specified accredited activities and certified for credit by QCHP-AD accredited CME/CPD providers, or the QCHP-AD directly, can be converted to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ starting January 1, 2017.
The agreement provides opportunities for physicians licensed to work in the United States of America (USA) and currently working in the state of Qatar, to fulfill various CME credit requirements in both countries at the same time by participation in QCHP-AD-accredited activities. This initiative is expected to be well received by healthcare practitioners.
The agreement also represents a great breakthrough for QCHP-AD in achieving a core component of QCHP's vision "To become an internationally recognized body for accreditation …." . It ensures the quality of its standards, policies, procedures and processes and hence the quality of CME/ CPD provided for healthcare practitioners in the state of Qatar.
It is to be noted that this agreement is one link of a chain of similar mutual recognition agreements that QCHP-AD targets to achieve.
QCHP-AD has already reached a "Credit Equivalency" agreement with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) by which QCHP accepts AAFP-Prescribed credit as equivalent to Category 1 and Category 3 Activities and AAFP accepts QCHP Category 1 and 3 credit as equivalent to AAFP Elective credit.
QCHP-AD is also in the final stage of reaching a "Substantial Equivalency" agreement with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Canada (RCPSC) and in an advanced stage of reaching a similar agreement with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
Finally, QCHP-AD renews its commitment to excellence and quality in providing education and professional development opportunities for all healthcare practitioners in a way that positively reflects on their professional practice, quality of health services and patient outcome.