Patent ID: 7761308

Claim:
A method of providing continuing medical education credit to a first physician for a consultation between the first physician and a second physician, the first and second physicians being coupled via a telecommunications system to an intermediary having a processor and a storage device to which the processor has access, the method comprising the steps of receiving a request for a consultation from the first physician via the telecommunications system at the processor of the intermediary, the processor of the intermediary being programmed to manage and record the consultation between the first physician and the second physician, the processor of the intermediary storing the request in the storage device; receiving by the processor of the intermediary a selection of the second physician made by a staff physician in the intermediary, the second physician having an expertise in a specialty in which the consultation is requested by the first physician; sending by the processor of the intermediary the stored request to the selected second physician via the telecommunications system; receiving by the processor of the intermediary a comment made with regard to the consultation via the telecommunications system from the selected second physician and the processor of the intermediary storing the comment; providing by the processor of the intermediary the stored comment from the selected second physician to the first physician via the telecommunications system; on conclusion of the consultation, an accreditation module of the processor of the intermediary recording information concerning the consultation in a continuing medical education database accessible to the processor, the information being associated with the first physician; and creating, by the accreditation module, an accreditation report for the first physician from the information in the continuing medical education database, the accreditation report comprising a certification of the continuing medical education credit earned by the first physician from participation in the consultation.