OGME Corner
Donald B. Kaveny and Susan L. Rall
ACGME Accreditation Has Arrived!
As of July 1, 2015 American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited programs are eligible to apply for Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Accreditation under the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the AOA, American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and ACGME in February 2014 for the creation of a unified accrediting system for graduate medical education. Programs that submit applications for ACGME Accreditation will be granted pre-accreditation status upon receipt of the application by ACGME. Such status will be maintained until the program either achieves ACGME Initial Accreditation, withdraws from the process, or June 30, 2020 according to the terms of the MOU. Until an AOA program is fully accredited by the ACGME, programs and program directors must still comply with AOA/ACOS standards. We strongly encourage you to attend the upcoming Osteopathic Surgical Educators Seminar taking place in Chicago, Illinois on October 6th in conjunction with the Annual Clinical Assembly.
2015 Osteopathic Surgical Educators Seminar – ACGME Transition
The annual Osteopathic Surgical Educators Seminar provides program directors and faculty an opportunity to share information and experiences in the realities of teaching osteopathic surgical residents with discussions regarding common and emerging issues affecting residents and training programs. This year’s seminar will be devoted to the transition of osteopathic training programs to Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accreditation and the transition process. Join us for this informative seminar on October 6th from 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., taking place in in Chicago, Illinois in conjunction with the Annual Clinical Assembly.
ACGME staff will present information to our osteopathic program directors and educators. Doctor John R. Potts, III, MD, FACS, ACGME Sr. VP for Surgery Accreditation will be the Keynote Presenter. Donna L. Lamb, MBA, BSN, Executive Director for Surgery, Plastics and CT; Mary Joyce Turner, RHIA, MJ, Executive Director for Urological Surgery, OBGYN, Ophthalmology and Council of RC Chairs; and Pamela Derstine, PHD, MPE, Executive Director for Neurological Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery, Orthopedics and Otolaryngology will give overviews on how each Review Committee operates, as each committee is quite different. They will explain how they will be available to answer questions on accreditation for their review committees and to assist the AOA programs as they transition to the ACGME accreditation process.
Program Directors, directors of medical education (DMEs), and program coordinators are highly encouraged to attend. Program directors are required to attend this seminar at least once every two years.
Click here to register or
contact the ACOS Graduate Medical Education department for additional information.
2015 ACGME Workshops for Program Coordinators
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is offering day-long workshops specifically designed for program coordinators with fewer than two years of experience. Register for "The Basics of Accreditation for New Program Coordinators Workshop" now open. Space is limited to 60 attendees per session. Dates and registration information is available on the
ACGME website. Questions? Contact Andrea Rio at
[email protected].
Annual Resident Reports are Overdue!
Annual resident reports were due to the ACOS by June 30, 2015. The Residency Evaluation and Standards Committee (RESC) will meet on August 28-29, 2015 to review completed reports. Annual reports received after August 1 will not be reviewed until February 2016. ACOS staff are working to review the reports for clarity, compliance, and completion. Residents and program directors will be notified if their reports are unsatisfactory or incomplete. Late fees may be imposed and the training year may be deferred if the annual resident report does not meet the criteria required by the RESC.
Residents Completing AOA Programs while in ACGME Pre-Accreditation Status
As outlined by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) in the
document,
Clarification on Eligibility of AOA-approved Programs to Apply for ACGME Accreditation under the Terms of the Memorandum of Understanding: “Residents who complete [AOA] programs after having achieved [ACGME] pre-accreditation status will be eligible for ACGME advanced residency and fellowship positions. This is according to the eligibility requirements that were in place June 30, 2013, or the standards that will be in place on July 1, 2016, whichever is less restrictive.”
According to the memorandum of understanding and pre-accreditation status granted to a program by the ACGME, until an AOA accredited program is granted “full” or “initial” ACGME accreditation, residents applying for ACGME fellowships are still subject to the same eligibility requirements as graduates of an AOA accredited residency training program are subject (with the caveat that those graduates of the ACGME pre-accredited programs can be evaluated upon the “less restrictive” requirements of either the June 30, 2013 or July1, 2016 requirements).
See the following chart: