RM Certification (level 2): Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Regenerative Medicine Certification Program Introduction

The Certified Regenerative Medicine Program is designed to educate Healthcare Professionals to understand the benefits of using regenerative medicine to treat their patients.  The program dives into the basics of this technology, and the overall aspects needed to incorporate regenerative medicine as part of any medical practice.

What is regenerative medicine?

According to the Advancing Transfusion and Cellular Therapies Worldwide regenerative medicine stands for:

Regenerative medicine may be defined as the process of replacing or “regenerating” human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function. This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by replacing damaged tissue or by stimulating the body’s own repair mechanisms to heal tissues or organs. Regenerative medicine also may enable scientists to grow tissues and organs in the laboratory and safely implant them when the body is unable to heal itself. Current estimates indicate that approximately one in three Americans could potentially benefit from regenerative medicine.

Regenerative Medicine refers to a group of biomedical approaches to clinical therapies that may involve the use of stem cells. Examples include cell therapies (the injection of stem cells or progenitor cells); immunomodulation therapy (regeneration by biologically active molecules administered alone or as secretions by infused cells); and tissue engineering (transplantation of laboratory grown organs and tissues). While covering a broad range of applications, in practice the latter term is closely associated with applications that repair or replace portions of or whole tissues (i.e., bone, cartilage, blood vessels, bladder, skin). Often, the tissues involved require certain mechanical and structural properties for proper functioning. The term has also been applied to efforts to perform specific biochemical functions using cells within an artificially-created support system (e.g., artificial pancreas or liver).

 http://www.aabb.org/aabbcct/therapyfacts/Pages/regenerative.aspx

 Why is regenerative medicine important?

Based on the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Regenerative medicine: Current therapies and future directions article:

Organ and tissue loss through disease and injury motivate the development of therapies that can regenerate tissues and decrease reliance on transplantations. Regenerative medicine, an interdisciplinary field that applies engineering and life science principles to promote regeneration, can potentially restore diseased and injured tissues and whole organs. Since the inception of the field several decades ago, a number of regenerative medicine therapies, including those designed for wound healing and orthopedics applications, have received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and are now commercially available.

Regenerative Medicine FDA-Approved products

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4664309/

Regenerative Medicine Certified Operator (RMCO) Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of The Knee

The Regenerative Medicine Certified Operator Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the knee is the first course tier of a three-level certification program. The RMCO is the basic level and the same has been designed to ensure that individuals that complete this program have a basic understanding of Regenerative Medicine, its benefits and the proper application as an alternative treatment.

This particular course work consists of 9 sessions and a short test after completion of these sessions. Once the previously mentioned work has been completed and the individual passes the RMCO test he/she will be awarded the Regenerative Medicine Certified Operator Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the Knee accreditation.

As the name implies the Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the knee certification refers to a series of course covering Osteoarthritis and the use of Viscosupplementation with intra-articular (IA) hyaluronic acid (HA) as a treatment option.

RMCO Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the Knee Certification Test

The RMCO Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the Knee certification test consists of approximately 45 questions covering the basics of Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the knee. The test is timed and candidates have approximately one hour to complete the same.

The RMCO Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the Knee test can only be taken at specified testing centers at specified designated dates. The RMCO Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the Knee test is normally scheduled as part of the EPI Compliance conference but additional dates and locations may be pre-arranged on a case by case basis.

Prerequisite Requirements

There are no prerequisites for this level nor are there any other educational qualifications required.

Test Composition

 The RMCO Hyaluronan Acid Therapies for Osteoarthritis of the Knee test is based on 5 sections. The actual distribution of questions and scores is as follows:

Exam retake policy

Individuals failing to pass the test may be scheduled for an online re-testing section or they can choose to retest at the next scheduled session.

Post Certification Requirements/Renewal

RMCO certification is valid for a period of three years. RMCO’s must complete at least three Regenerative Medicine certified courses within this period.