ARP Programs
| Consultations There is a demonstrated need in this country and worldwide for second-opinion consultations, especially in the diagnosis of malignant disease. The AFIP provides comprehensive diagnostic workups reviewed by in-house experts in one and sometimes several departments.  The AFIP has developed immunochemistry and molecular diagnostic laboratories, which have markedly expanded the quality of services. The ARP has supported this effort by providing funds for equipment and technical support in the immunology and histology laboratories. Contributions from the civilian community help maintain the diagnostic expertise of the professional staff of the AFIP and the highest quality diagnoses of military specimens.
In 1991, the AFIP and ARP received approval to enter into a pilot program in the form of a cooperative agreement under which ARP would collect fees for consultation services provided to the civilian medical community. Prior to this time, such services had been provided free of charge. Recently, this arrangement, which had evolved in many respects from the initial pilot program, was reviewed and restructured to provide a framework for continuing consultation activity into the foreseeable future. Because the ARP and the Institute felt it was poor public policy to refuse cancer diagnostic services to the indigent, they retained minimal discretion to waive charges for consultation services on a case-by-case basis, but are exploring legal avenues to eliminate free consultations. |
| Education There is a continued need for post-graduate education in diagnostic pathology. Members of the AFIP act as a central faculty for specialty courses, supplemented by guest lecturers.  Relatively few such courses were held at the AFIP during the early 1950s, but at present over 35 courses are given annually, principally at the AFIP but also at national and international sites. There is, of course, strong competition in the area of continuing medical education from universities and specialty societies, but this serves to maintain the high standards of our programs.
Prior to 1978, Center for Advanced Medical Education (CAME) courses held at the Institute were tuition-free. Since that time, ARP and the Institute have operated CAME as a Cooperative Enterprise with the goal of generating funds to allow the program to be self-sustaining. The outstanding example of this effort has been the Radiology Department, which gives five courses (6 weeks each) for 90% of the radiology residents in the country. In 1996, ARP provided funds to recruit a Director of Medical Education, plus additional personnel to supplement the military staff originally assigned to this effort. In 1999, the CAME became the Department Most recently, the ARP has funded a development program for curricular courses on the World Wide Web. These efforts were initially developed in conjunction with the departments of Gastrointestinal, Genitourinary, and Veterinary Pathology. Visit our Online Courses! |
of Medical Education (DME) and many of the ARP positions were converted to government and contract positions. In the last few years, improved syllabi, brochures, and evaluation procedures have allowed the DME to be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Telepathology The advent of new technology, providing increasingly accurate images and the ability to transmit those images electronically has allowed expedited diagnosis of pathology specimens. Numerous images can be sent and stored electronically for review by a particular department, allowing a turn around time of 3-4 hours. This program is particularly attractive for isolated military installations and foreign contributors who lack access to other forms of expedited communication, such as express mail, fax, and email. The ARP provided funds to initiate the program in Telepathology, including fund for the Program Director and essential equipment. The Telepathology program now reviews several hundred specimens per year, utilizing all available technical platforms, and is carried out by government employees and ARP personnel under contract with AFIP. The ARP provided the funds for a webmaster to develop the websites for AFIP and ARP. In addition to providing a home page for each department, the website includes information on courses, fellowships, publications, and consultations, and allows direct ordering of publications and registration for upcoming courses. |
