LARS POLICIES & PROCEDURES

The Mission of the Los Angeles Radiological Society (LARS) is, in part, to provide quality continuing medical education to its target audience, Diagnostic Radiologists, Interventional Radiologists, Radiation Oncologists, and the allied health professionals who assist them in carrying out their professional responsibilities.  Toward this end, LARS has formed the Continuing Education Committee (CEC) to plan and carry out educational activities.  LARS is proud to be accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality/California Medical Association (IMQ/CMA) to offer Category 1  continuing medical education to physicians and has made the decision to fully comply with the Policies of the IMQ/CMA, and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), as well as all relevant State and Federal laws.

Definition of Continuing Medical Education:  LARS-sponsored events provide content in compliance with the California Legislature's definition of Category 1 continuing medical education as follows:  Continuing medical education activities that serve to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance that a physician or surgeon uses to provide care, or improve the quality of care provided for patients, including, but not limited to, educational activities that meet any of the following criteria:

1. Have a scientific or clinical content with a direct bearing on the quality or cost-effective provision of patient care, community or public health, or preventive medicine.

2. Concern quality assurance or improvement, risk management, health facility standards, or the legal aspects of clinical medicine.

3. Concern bioethics, professional ethics.

4. Designed to improve the physician/patient relationship. 

The definition expressly excludes educational activities that are not directed toward the practice of medicine, or are directed toward the business aspects of medical practice, including, but limited to, medical office management, billing and coding, and marketing.

Content Validation:  LARS accepts responsibility for validating the clinical content of LARS-sponsored CME activities.  Specifically:

1. All the recommendations involving clinical medicine in a CME activity must be based on evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of a patient

2. All scientific research referred to, reported or used in CME in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis.

Cultural and Linguistic Competency:  LARS is in compliance with California State Law AB 1195 which requires that on and after July 1, 2006 continuing medical education courses include curriculum in the subjects of cultural and linguistic competency in the practice of medicine.

Equal Employment Opportunity:  It is LARS policy to comply with the Equal Employment Opportunity Laws as currently defined by the Federal Government and the State of California.

Americans with Disabilities Act:  The Los Angeles Radiological Society, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, makes every reasonable effort to accommodate the special needs of participants and attendees at its educational events.  Potential participants and attendees are advised of LARS’ policy in writing on brochures designed to provide event and registration information, and those requiring special accommodations are requested to contact LARS prior to the event.  A deadline several days prior to the event is established in order to allow LARS time to fulfill requests.  In addition, LARS is committed to selecting only sites fully in compliance with the Act for meetings and educational events.