Medical News

COLUMBIA, MD, November 7 2003– COLA and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) have agreed to jointly offer a Laboratory Director Training Program in conjunction with the 2004 Endocrine University ? being held at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, on March 20, 2004. Through this arrangement, COLA and ACE will collectively offer over 20 continuing medical education hours of Category 1 credit. By offering the 20 plus contact hours, this educational program offered by COLA and ACE will meet CLIA requirements for physician-directors of moderate complexity laboratories.

The Laboratory Director Training Program will be delivered through a blended approach, in which program participants will obtain approximately 9.5 contact hours through live discussion and lectures and 10.5 hours through on-line courses offered at www.labuniversity.org. The curriculum for the live courses will include an introduction to laboratory testing, an overview of laboratory director responsibilities, and selecting a laboratory information system for the POL. The web-based courses will include the following: CLIA ?88 Requirements for the POL, OSHA Safety Requirements for the Medical Laboratory, Practical Proficiency Testing, and Quality Assurance - Basic QA Practices for the POL.

Upon the successful completion of both live and web-based courses, participants will receive acknowledgment of their accomplishments with a certificate of completion that shows they meet CMS requirements to serve as a physician-director of a moderate complexity laboratory.

About COLA
COLA is a nonprofit, physician-directed organization promoting quality and excellence in medicine and patient care through programs of voluntary education, achievement, and accreditation. COLA focuses on providing cost-effective methods to expand the knowledge base of all laboratory personnel. Over 20,000 facilities have benefited from COLA’s programs. COLA’s e-Learning services include course development and hosting. For more information regarding COLALink or course development please call 800-981-9883, or e-mail egreenwald@cola.org. For more information on COLA’s on-line healthcare educational opportunities, visit COLA’s e-Learning Web site at www.labuniversity.org. More information on COLA can also be found at www.cola.org.

About ACE & AACE
The mission of ACE, a sister organization to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), is to provide and promote education, research and communication in the art and science of clinical endocrinology and to provide appropriate recognition of advances and achievements relating to clinical endocrinology. The ACE fellowship (FACE) and masters (MACE) programs recognize the distinction and professional achievements in the field of clinical endocrinology. AACE is an international professional medical association with over 4,400 members throughout the United States and 77 foreign countries. Endocrinologists have specialized training and expertise in the treatment of endocrine diseases including diabetes, thyroid, pituitary and calcium disorders including osteoporosis as well as cholesterol and nutritional.

COLUMBIA, MD, November 7 2003– COLA and the American College of Endocrinology (ACE) have agreed to jointly offer a Laboratory Director Training Program in conjunction with the 2004 Endocrine University ? being held at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, on March 20, 2004. Through this arrangement, COLA and ACE will collectively offer over 20 continuing medical education hours of Category 1 credit. By offering the 20 plus contact hours, this educational program offered by COLA and ACE will meet CLIA requirements for physician-directors of moderate complexity laboratories.

The Laboratory Director Training Program will be delivered through a blended approach, in which program participants will obtain approximately 9.5 contact hours through live discussion and lectures and 10.5 hours through on-line courses offered at www.labuniversity.org. The curriculum for the live courses will include an introduction to laboratory testing, an overview of laboratory director responsibilities, and selecting a laboratory information system for the POL. The web-based courses will include the following: CLIA ?88 Requirements for the POL, OSHA Safety Requirements for the Medical Laboratory, Practical Proficiency Testing, and Quality Assurance - Basic QA Practices for the POL.

Upon the successful completion of both live and web-based courses, participants will receive acknowledgment of their accomplishments with a certificate of completion that shows they meet CMS requirements to serve as a physician-director of a moderate complexity laboratory.

About COLA
COLA is a nonprofit, physician-directed organization promoting quality and excellence in medicine and patient care through programs of voluntary education, achievement, and accreditation. COLA focuses on providing cost-effective methods to expand the knowledge base of all laboratory personnel. Over 20,000 facilities have benefited from COLA’s programs. COLA’s e-Learning services include course development and hosting. For more information regarding COLALink or course development please call 800-981-9883, or e-mail egreenwald@cola.org. For more information on COLA’s on-line healthcare educational opportunities, visit COLA’s e-Learning Web site at www.labuniversity.org. More information on COLA can also be found at www.cola.org.

About ACE & AACE
The mission of ACE, a sister organization to the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE), is to provide and promote education, research and communication in the art and science of clinical endocrinology and to provide appropriate recognition of advances and achievements relating to clinical endocrinology. The ACE fellowship (FACE) and masters (MACE) programs recognize the distinction and professional achievements in the field of clinical endocrinology. AACE is an international professional medical association with over 4,400 members throughout the United States and 77 foreign countries. Endocrinologists have specialized training and expertise in the treatment of endocrine diseases including diabetes, thyroid, pituitary and calcium disorders including osteoporosis as well as cholesterol and nutritional.