New four-year accreditation for SCAN Health Plan's medical education program

SCAN Health Plan announced today that its continuing medical education program for physicians has received a new four-year accreditation from the Institute of Medical Quality. The accreditation criteria looked at SCAN's educational curriculum, faculty and unique focus in geriatric care in awarding the re-accreditation that runs through 2013.

Historically, universities, hospitals or commercial groups receive accreditation for continuing medical education, making it rare for a health plan to earn this high distinction. However, over the years SCAN has shown a distinct commitment to continuing education not just for physicians but also for nurses, social workers, pharmacists and others in the field of geriatric care.

"Our country is facing a severe shortage in geriatricians, and the need will become even greater as our society ages," said SCAN Chief Medical Officer Timothy Schwab, M.D. "Many practicing physicians may not have had extensive formal training in caring for seniors, but now they see the aging of their patients. SCAN tries to help fill that gap by offering practical, hands-on programs that benefit their practice and their patients."

Last May, for example, more than 200 physicians and nurses gathered with national healthcare leaders in Long Beach for the fifth annual geriatric symposium, sponsored by SCAN and designed to address a myriad of issues surrounding geriatric care in America. And earlier in the year, SCAN joined with the UCLA Academic Geriatric Resource Center and the California Geriatric Education Center to sponsor the seventh annual Leadership and Management in Geriatrics Conference. These and other such educational programs are designed to seek new solutions to improve clinical care and the healthcare process.

In 2010, SCAN plans on offering a new range of Web-based training, which, according to Dr. Schwab, will "encourage interaction between physician learners and faculty in a far more effective, participatory and convenient way than tradition didactic teaching." The health plan targets launching these programs in first quarter of the new year.