ACGME Accreditation
The formal process by which the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education evaluates and recognizes residency and fellowship programs.
Definition
ACGME accreditation is the quality assurance process for Graduate Medical Education in the United States. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) sets standards for residency and fellowship programs across all medical specialties and evaluates programs against those standards on an ongoing basis. Accreditation is required for programs to train residents and fellows and for those trainees to be eligible for board certification.
Why it matters for your program
Without ACGME accreditation, a program cannot legally train residents or fellows, and residents cannot sit for specialty board exams. Accreditation status directly affects a program's ability to recruit, a hospital's teaching status, and Medicare GME funding. Loss of accreditation is one of the most serious events in academic medicine.
Related terms
Designated Institutional Official (DIO)
The individual at a sponsoring institution who has the authority and responsibility for oversight of all ACGME-accredited programs.
Self-Study
A required, ongoing process of program evaluation and improvement that forms the foundation of ACGME's next accreditation system.
Annual Program Evaluation (APE)
A required yearly review of a residency or fellowship program's performance, conducted by the Program Evaluation Committee.
Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER)
ACGME's institutional site visit program that evaluates how sponsoring institutions support patient safety, quality improvement, and resident well-being.
Sponsoring Institution
The organization — typically a hospital or health system — that takes ultimate responsibility for all ACGME-accredited programs it sponsors.
Related Service
ACGME Compliance Consulting
Ashley Wood, PhD helps programs navigate acgme accreditation requirements with director-level expertise from HCA Healthcare and Vanderbilt.
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