Global Medical Regulators Meet To Discuss Physician Regulation

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 28 Sep 2010 - 0:00 PDT


More than 225 medical regulators from 32 countries will meet in Philadelphia Sept. 26-29 to begin to define best practices for regulating medical practice in their respective countries.

The International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA) 9th Biennial Conference on Medical Regulation is being hosted in the United States by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners®. It is the first in a series of IAMRA conferences that will bring world experts together in an effort to develop global best practices for use in licensing and regulating physicians.

"In an increasingly interconnected medical world, this year's conference provides a valuable opportunity for global leaders to ask, 'what can we do to ensure that our mutual systems of regulation are as effective as they can be?'" said Dr. John Hillery, IAMRA chair and past president of the Medical Council of Ireland. "More and more, health issues cross geographic borders, making it imperative that those who license physicians around the world are communicating with each other and sharing ideas and strategies."

Participants at the conference include leaders of national and state regulatory authorities, medical schools, health and welfare ministries and other institutions. They will gather in small-group sessions during the conference to compare notes on the issues they manage on a daily basis - ranging from registering and licensing physicians to handling complaints about medical care and quality and safety issues. At the close of the conference, participants will summarize their discussions and propose next steps. The goal is to present results for review and adoption at the next IAMRA conference in 2012.

A small sampling of countries represented at the conference includes Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Egypt, India, Iraq, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

Among the programming highlights:

- An introductory plenary session will feature a discussion of post-licensure quality assurance programs in Canada and the United Kingdom.

- Dr. Joanna Flynn, chair of the new Medical Board of Australia, will discuss the major changes made by her country recently in the way it regulates physicians.

- A special workshop on Sept. 26 will highlight fundamental issues of medical regulation and showcase innovative regulatory and licensure programs around the world. The IAMRA conference is being held at the Sheraton Society Hill in Philadelphia.

Source:
Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)

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