ACGME Accredidation Council for Graduate Medical Education

LegalPrinciples for Release of Graduate Medical Educati

Principles for Release of Graduate Medical Education Data

  1. ACGME collects and maintains data through its accreditation activities that range from very sensitive and confidential to openly available public information. These data may be categorized into 4 levels of information.

    2. Public Information
    		Published information, eg, the Graduate Medical Education Directory and ACGME Web program listing.
    Limited Use Information
    		Special reports, custom tables, electronic core GME data, and mailing labels (does not include accreditation decisions/status or action text).
    Restricted Information
    		Detailed accreditation data regarding individual programs and institutions restricted to ACGME accreditation activities or purposes, eg, PIF, notification letters, custom reports.
    Confidential Information
    		 Most guarded and generally not released, eg, identification of individuals (faculty or residents) filing complaints.

  2. The ACGME data may be released to 3 types of users that basically parallel the categories of data above.
    1. Public
    2. Professional Associations and Organizations (with common GME needs), Government Agencies, Medical Education Researchers.
    3. Related Accredited Program, Teaching Institution, or Sponsor
  3. Accreditation information generated during the accreditation process is owned by the ACGME.
  4. All requests for unpublished or electronic data must be made in writing and must state the purpose of the project and describe the specific information requested. The ACGME reserves the right to decline any data request not meeting a legitimate educational purpose, not collaborative in nature, or requiring excessive staff time or organizational overhead.
  5. Release of all data under the Limited Use Information category will require a signed agreement specifying appropriate usage of the data, prohibiting the sale of the data, and providing the source citation.
  6. Requests requiring minimal materials and time will be fulfilled at no charge, especially for programs providing annual data. Requests that require extensive staff time and/or organizational overhead will be assessed a fee to cover these costs.
  7. Data requests and data release will be managed centrally.
LegalPrinciples for Release of Graduate Medical Educati