• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Ask the expert: What should we focus on when answering questions on the PIF?

Residency Program Connection, October 5, 2010

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Residency Program Connection!

First, focus on the RC’s previous citations and your responses. Site visitors and RC members’ look to these elements first. They want to be assured that you accepted their previous letters seriously and have been aggressive in implementing corrective actions. This information will help you anticipate the site visitor’s first concerns. However, your improvements can’t stop there. Don’t simply fix past citations. Demonstrate substantial compliance with all the other requirements. Turn some of these into “best practices.”

Second, focus on the results of your own annual self-review program evaluations. What were the major one or two concerns you identified each year? How did you analyze the issues, create action plans and timelines, and use these to improve that area within your residency? How have you measured your progress? What has been your progress in those areas?

This information will allow you to demonstrate that your program identified weaknesses leading to steps to strengthen those areas. For issues that you have not yet addressed, you can anticipate the site visitor’s questions and can then demonstrate your program’s commitment to making the necessary improvements.

This week’s question and answer are from Insider’s Guide to the ACGME Site Visit, Second Edition by Kathryn Andolsek, MD, MPH, and Shepard Cohen.
 

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Residency Program Connection!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive