10
COM Outlook . Spring 2014
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:
GME Accreditation
Standardization Agreement Achieved
n late February, an agreement
was hammered out by the Ac-
creditation Council for Graduate
Medical Education (ACGME), the
American Osteopathic Association
(AOA), and the American Association
of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
(AACOM) to establish a single ac-
creditation system for U.S. graduate
medical education programs.
The unified accreditation system
will allow graduates of allopathic and
osteopathic medical schools to com-
plete their residency and/or fellow-
ship education in ACGME-accredited
programs and demonstrate achieve-
ment of common milestones and
competencies. Currently, the ACGME
and AOA maintain separate accredita-
tion systems for allopathic and osteo-
pathic educational programs.
Starting in July 2015, AOA-accred-
ited programs will undergo transition
to ACGME accreditation. By July 2020,
all programs must be ACGME accred-
ited. Significantly, the ACGME will
recognize and codify within its system
a structure that recognizes osteopathic
principles and practices, including
neuromusculoskeletal training, which
is at the core of the osteopathic pro-
fession. The unique characteristics of
osteopathic medicine will be pre-
served, and both the AOA and AACOM
will have full board representation
with the ACGME.
Under the single accreditation sys-
tem, the protocol will be as follows:
The
AOA
and
AACOM
will be-
come ACGME member organizations
and will nominate members to the
ACGME Board of Directors.
I
TWO NEW
osteopathic review
committees will be created to evalu-
ate and set standards for the osteo-
pathic aspects of training programs
seeking osteopathic recognition.
The timeframe stretching from
JULY 1, 2015, THROUGH JUNE 30,
2020
, is an extended transition pe-
riod for AOA-accredited training pro-
grams to apply and receive ACGME
recognition and accreditation.
OPPORTUNITY
is created for
M.D. and D.O. graduates who have
met the prerequisite competencies
to access any training program or
transfer from one accredited program
to another without being required to
repeat training.
EFFICIENCIES
are realized since
there is no need for institutions to
sponsor
dually accredited
or
paral-
lel-accredited
allopathic and osteo-
pathic medical residency programs.
The single accreditation system
will ensure that the evaluation and
accountability for the competency
of physician residents is consistent
across GME programs, helping to
ensure the quality and efficiency of
postdoctoral education, while pre-
serving the unique dimensions of the
osteopathic profession and recogniz-
ing its contribution to health care in
the United States.
ACCREDITATION UPDATE
A Look at GME in Florida
In the February issue of the Florida
Legislature’s Office of Program Policy Anal-
ysis and Government Accountability
OP-
PAGA Report
, an article entitled “Florida’s
Graduate Medical Education System”
summarized the current state of graduate
medical education (GME) in Florida.
According to the report, there are 53
accredited GME institutions in Florida,
with 44 of them currently administering
407 residency programs for 5,157 ap-
proved positions. The remaining 9 institu-
tions have recently received accreditation
but are not yet training residents.
Of the 407 residency programs, 24
percent are primary care specialties, 25
percent are non-primary care specialties,
and 51 percent are subspecialties. Ap-
proximately 54 percent of Florida’s GME
positions are primary care positions, while
about 11 percent of residency positions
were unfilled in academic year 2013-14.
Institutions reported that residents who
graduated from non-Florida medical
schools comprised 73 percent of filled GME
positions during academic year 2013-14.
In terms of graduates from Florida’s
medical schools from 2000 through 2013
who matched to a Florida residency
program, 74 percent have an active
Florida medical license and are practicing
medicine in Florida.
Let’s make...
...a deal!
