Non-Compliance Report FAQs

Allegations of significant and widespread non-compliance with specific accreditation or recognition standards (“requirements”), usually manifest by multiple lapses or occurrences, are appropriate to report to the ACGME. Reporters should use all available internal mechanisms to report and address concerns before filing a report with the ACGME. Allegations should have occurred within the current or immediately preceding academic year. View this video module for more detailed information before submitting a non-compliance report.

Program Requirements documents can be found on each specialty’s section of the ACGME website, accessible from the “Specialties” menu at the top of the website. A link to the Institutional Requirements can be found under the “Institutions” listing in the “Programs and Institutions” menu at the top of the website. The Osteopathic Recognition Requirements can be found on the Osteopathic Recognition web page, under the “Requirements and FAQs” heading. Potential reporters are encouraged to review the accreditation or recognition standards to better understand the ACGME’s scope and help frame allegations of non-compliance.

Questions about requirements or requests for clarification should be directed to a staff member for a Review or Recognition Committee, whose contact information can also be found on each specialty’s section under “Contact and Support” on the “Overview” tab.

The ACGME does not adjudicate individual disputes or intervene in matters such as dismissal/reinstatement, employment or academic disputes, academic appeals, remediation or probation decisions, content of evaluations, content of verification of training documentation, resident and fellow selection, The Match®, personnel decisions (e.g., removing individuals from roles), funding, or salaries/benefits.

View this video module for more detailed information before submitting a non-compliance report to better understand matters that fall outside of the ACGME’s organizational scope.

Review this list of potential resources.

No, those reporting alleged non-compliance must provide the ACGME with their accurate name and contact information.

Per its policies, the ACGME will take steps to keep a reporter’s identity confidential unless confidentiality is specifically waived. The ACGME will not share a reporter’s identity without the reporter’s consent.

Consistent with its confidentiality policies, the ACGME cannot share actions taken by the organization or specific information regarding accreditation or recognition decisions, citations, or correspondence between the ACGME and a program or Sponsoring Institution.

Reporters receive confirmation of receipt with outlined next steps upon submission. The ACGME will communicate when the report is filed (i.e., when an allegation letter has been sent to the program director and/or designated institutional official) and/or when the process has reached a final conclusion and the report is closed. Program and Sponsoring Institution accreditation and recognition statuses and site visit dates can be viewed in ACGME Cloud | Analytics by clicking the “Institution and Program Finder” button on the Explore Public Data page. Due to the intensive review process and the accreditation and recognition cycle, closure of a report may not occur for many months after its submission.

Non-compliance reports must be submitted through the ACGME’s online form. The ACGME does not accept non-compliance reports via phone, email, mail, or fax.

Questions regarding the non-compliance report process should be sent by email to NCR@acgme.org. Staff members will respond to process-related questions via email. For documentation purposes, questions about non-compliance reporting processes must be submitted in writing.

No. The ACGME does not issue public statements related to non-compliance reports involving specific Sponsoring Institutions or programs. Reasons behind accreditation or and recognition decisions are confidential between the ACGME and the accredited/recognized institutions and programs. Program and Sponsoring Institution accreditation and recognition statuses and site visit dates can be viewed in ACGME Cloud | Analytics by clicking the “Institution and Program Finder” button on the Explore Public Data page.

No. A non-compliance report helps inform the ACGME’s accreditation function and is not meant to address urgent matters. For urgent matters, consider other potential resources for reporting within the program, Sponsoring Institution, or another appropriate avenue.

If the ACGME withdraws accreditation, or accreditation is voluntarily withdrawn, all residents/fellows who are unable to satisfy requirements for program completion by the effective date of withdrawal must be provided with assistance in their efforts to continue their education in other ACGME-accredited programs. The ACGME requires that the Sponsoring Institution ensure assistance to residents/fellows who are displaced by program closures, as noted in the ACGME Policies and Procedures and the ACGME Institutional Requirements. Although rare, if a program is reestablished at the institution before the effective date of withdrawal, it is possible the residents/fellows could transfer into that new program at the same institution. Other programs may request temporary complement increases from the ACGME to facilitate acceptance of residents/fellows transferring from closing programs. The ACGME is not involved in determining funding for displaced resident/fellow positions.

Residents and fellows should direct questions about program and institutional accreditation decisions and status, including closures, to their designated institutional official (DIO) and program leadership.