You Ask, We Answer! See below for answers to questions that were asked during our Free “Ask Partners” webinar.

Self-Study Questions

Q:  What if our self- study is scheduled for the summer and it overlaps academic years?

A:  At the ACGME meeting, Dr. Philibert said that they plan to schedule self-study visit dates in the fall so that the RRC will get the SSV report with the data that they will be reviewing for that academic year.

Q:  How do I know when my self- study visit date is?

A:  The dates have been issued, except for programs/institutions on initial accreditation.  Look on your last ACGME Letter of Notification (to the DIO or Program Director), where it will be listed.  The dates are also posted on the “public” page on www.acgme.org for each program/institution, under “Data Collection.”  You can look up the page for your program/institution there, and the date is listed in the section about your accreditation status.

Q:  I am a DIO; should the GMEC use data from the CLER survey in the self-study?

A:  No statement about that was made in the meetings, but we think that the CLER areas of focus are an important component of the program/institution’s performance improvement efforts.  Your CLER data was not provided to the RC, so you will not get the CLER report in the data report that you receive from your RC at the beginning of the self-study year.

Q:  Has the ACGME come out with a SSV template, since the first SSVs are scheduled for 2015 and the self-studies have to be completed in a year in advance?  Will the first programs and institutions get a “pass” if they do not have all the APE or AIR elements in place — since the Self-studies are based on sequential APES and AIRS?

A:  There was not a SSV template in the webinar.  The ACGME said that they are not going to have a format; they don’t want to tell programs how to do this.  Yes, the SSV scheduled for 2015 will be done, despite not having an APE or AIR.  There will be very little data, but the SSV will still take place in 2015.

Unified Accreditation Question

Q:  In the unified accreditation system, what do you mean by all programs will be open to all residents?

A:  The unified accreditation system will enable all students, regardless of their degree – MD, DO, or IMG – to apply to any program that is accredited by the ACGME.  This opens up slots from AOA programs to MD students and IMG applications.

ADS Question

Q:  What do we do if we have to change data in ADS?

A:  If you discover a glaring error in your ADS data, you must contact the WebADS help desk to discuss the situation.  It is very difficult to change historical data and is imperative that you enter all data correctly the first time.

CLER Questions / Single Program Sponsors

Q:  Will single program sponsors have a CLER visit by fall 2014?

A:  At the meeting we were told that at this point, single programs will not be part of the initial round of CLER visits.  The ACGME and CLER section are determining how to handle single program sponsors and other institutions that are not multi-program sponsors.

Q:  Do you have any info related to NAS and Single Program Institutions?

A:  Many of the details specific to Single Program Institutions remain under development, however you can email us about the questions that you have related to your specific circumstances, and we can address them individually.

Q:  Was there any additional guidance for single program sponsoring institutions?  Do they have to re-apply as institutional sponsors or will they be “grandfathered” in?  When can they expect CLER visits?

A:  Under NAS, the definition has changed.  A “single-program institution (SPI)” sponsors only one ACGME-accredited program.  A “multiple-program institution (MPI)” sponsors more than one program (although they may all be under the same RRC).  Current “single program sponsors” will not reapply. Both types will be reviewed under NAS (annual data reviews, focused/full site visits) by the Institutional Review Committee.  We do not know when a CLER visit will be conducted for single program sponsors. 

Q:  Will ACGME extend the beta testing phase for CLER visits until all 380+ multiple program sponsoring institutions are visited — or do they have enough information so that they can move forward with “real” CLER visits that impact institutional accreditation decisions?

A:  These visits are expected to be completed by fall of 2014, so if you haven’t had a visit yet, you will by fall. These will continue to be visits to only inform and gather baseline data. 

General Questions

Q:  Thank you so much for this!  I am wondering if we are able to ever be in contact with our review committee members.

A:  DIOs and Program Directors do contact the Executive Director of the Review Committee.

Q:  Where do I find my self- study date?

A:  The dates have been issued, except for programs/institutions on initial accreditation.  Look on your last ACGME Letter of Notification (to the DIO or Program Director), where it will be listed.  The dates are also posted on the “public” page on www.acgme.org for each program/institution, under “Data Collection.”  You can look up the page for your program/institution there, and the date is listed in the section about your accreditation status.

Q:  For Fellowship programs who are in a free standing children’s hospital that do not have a “Core Program” in-house, how will the RRC perform their site visits.  For example:  A Pediatric Radiology Fellowship is not under the Pediatric Core Residency Program…  how will the ACGME conduct those visits?

A:  We did not hear anything discussed in the meetings we attended about how the special circumstances in Children’s Hospitals would be addressed.

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