Rural Track Program Designation

ACGME Rural Track Program Designation
Building capacity for GME can be challenging in rural communities, many of which are in medically underserved areas. GME partnerships between participating sites in urban, rural, and other settings play an important role in enhancing physician supply in workforce shortage areas.

In alignment with Section II of the MUA/P framework, the ACGME has developed processes addressing ACGME-accredited programs that seek to create “rural tracks” as defined in rules and regulations of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 42 CFR §413.79(k). An ACGME Rural Track Program (RTP) is an ACGME-accredited program in which all or some residents/fellows gain both urban and rural experience with more than half of the education and training for the applicable resident(s)/fellow(s) taking place in a rural area (any area outside of an urban Core-Based Statistical Area (CBSA)).

Recognizing that improved identification of such programs may help to facilitate the development of GME in rural and underserved areas, the ACGME has developed a common, criterion-based process for designating ACGME-accredited RTPs across specialties.

The following processes are available to obtain ACGME RTP designation:

• Permanent complement increase and identification of new rural site(s) for an existing program
• Application for a new program*

*New programs may share resources and overlapping resident/fellow experiences with an already existing ACGME-accredited program. Requests for RTP designation during the program application process may identify an existing program as a Rural Track Related Program (see definition below).

The following table summarizes the two processes for ACGME RTP designation:

*The designation process is independent of accreditation review. Programs are encouraged to review the applicable specialty-specific Program Requirements and contact the executive director of the relevant Review Committee with accreditation-related questions.

Specialty-Specific RTP Questionnaires

The following Review Committees currently use a RTP Questionnaire to obtain additional information for programs seeking ACGME RTP designation:

• Family Medicine
• Internal Medicine
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (new program request)
• Obstetrics and Gynecology (complement increase request)
• Pediatrics
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Psychiatry

The specialty-specific ACGME RTP Questionnaires can also be found on the Documents and Resources page of the relevant specialty’s section on the ACGME website and are submitted as part of the ACGME RTP designation request as indicated on the form. Questions concerning this form can be directed to staff members of the relevant specialty Review Committee, whose contact information may be found on that specialty’s section of the ACGME website.

*The ACGME RTP designation is independent of any rural track designation by CMS and does not guarantee that a program will meet CMS eligibility requirements for GME or other financial support. Direct questions about the CMS rural track policy to the local GME finance staff and/or the PPS hospital’s Medicare Administrative Contractor.