What external measures does the ACGME expect programs to use? When will programs be held accountable for external measures of performance?
A17: By 2008 residency programs are expected to be collecting feedback on their residents performance from at least one source external to the residency program. This could be from patients and their families, other specialists who have sought consultations from residents or referred their patients, members of the care team from specialties other than the residents own or from other health professions, or employers. The ACGME encourages programs and institutions to move forward with collection of data indicating resident performance of condition specific evidence-based patient care processes and, where appropriate, of outcomes of providing care (e.g. surgical complication rate, scores on validated functional outcome questionnaires, % patients who stopped smoking or loss weight following counseling or other resident-initiated intervention). 1 The core specialties are defined as specialties with designated Residency Review Committees (RRCs): Allergy & Immunology, Anesthesiology, Colon an
