Graduate medical education (GME) for physicians is getting streamlined. On Feb. 26, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) announced an agreement that will combine all GME accreditation programs under the ACGME system. The change will provide consistency in how MDs and DOs are evaluated, and will give graduates access to all accredited GME programs without having to repeat education courses. It will also eliminate the need for institutions to have dually accredited allopathic and osteopathic medical residency programs.

Under the new plan, the AOA and AACOM will become ACGME member organizations, and two new osteopathic review committees will be created to set standards for programs seeking osteopathic recognition through the ACGME. The transition will begin July 1, 2015, and AOA-accredited programs will have until June 30, 2020 to apply for ACGME accreditation under the transition plan.

For more information, visit www.acgme.org, www.osteopathic.org, or www.aacom.org.