Originally published in University Business Magazine on March 7, 2013.

Every teaching hospital and academic medical center knows that the process of becoming accredited and re-accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is an arduous task. The ACGME is attempting to ease this burden by introducing a new accreditation model called The Next Accreditation System (NAS). The NAS introduces dramatic changes in the way the ACGME accredits institutions and graduate medical education (GME) programs, with the initial implementation of the NAS to start in July 2013, followed by complete implementation in July 2014. Nevertheless, the current accreditation system is still in place, which means over the next six to 18 months, sponsoring institutions and residency programs need to be cognizant of both existing ACGME accreditation rules, including tools and best practices for preparing Program Information Forms and for site visits, as well as the requirements, implications, and ramifications of the NAS.

The Current Accreditation System -

The ACGME, through its 28 Residency Review Committees (RRCs), accredits over 9,000 residency programs in 133 specialties and subspecialties across the country. Each RRC is responsible for developing accreditation standards and developing the tool—the Program Information Forms (PIF)—for each residency to obtain and maintain accreditation.