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Statement of Institutional Commitment to GME

CHRISTUS Health’s graduate medical education mission includes strong commitment to providing organized educational programs with guidance and supervision of residents and fellows, facilitating their professional and personal development while ensuring safe and appropriate care for patients. CHRISTUS Health is committed to supporting graduate medical education programs in principle and financially with facilities, equipment, and other administrative, educational, financial, human, and clinical resources. This commitment is supported by the CHRISTUS Board, CHRISTUS Health corporate and regional administration, Hospital Boards and the teaching staff.

Graduate Medical Education is an integral part of providing the academic atmosphere necessary to accomplish the public service mission of CHRISTUS Health in our communities. We provide a supportive and challenging environment within which residents with diverse backgrounds can prepare themselves for careers characterized by commitment to excellence in patient care. At CHRISTUS, the graduate medical educational program prepares residents who are life-long learners endowing them with tools to continue their own education and to teach their patients and colleagues throughout their careers. In addition, our training programs provide the experiences necessary for residents to master the clinical skills necessary to evaluate and care for their patients.

CHRISTUS Health will ensure that all of its graduate medical education programs meet or exceed the Institutional, Common Program Requirements, and Specialty Program Requirements promulgated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The Institutional support of these goals will be monitored through existing reporting mechanisms by the CHRISTUS Graduate Medical Education Committee, the CHRISTUS Health System Clinical Leadership Group, and the Medical Executive Committees of hospitals with graduate medical education programs and relevant to CHRISTUS Regional Executive Committees.

Sam Bagchi, MD
Executive VP & CCO 

Fadi Nasrallah, MD
Senior VP & CMO; Co-Chair, CLG

John C. McDonald, DO
Designated Institutional Official
Chair, Institute of Academic Medicine

GME Office Responsibilities

The CHRISTUS Health Graduate Medical Education (GME) Office supports the residency/fellowship programs and house staff under the direction of the Designated Institutional Official. Responsibilities of the GME office include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Academic partnerships
  • Accreditation compliance
  • Affiliation agreements
  • Annual Institutional Review (AIR) report / presentation to CLG
  • Faculty and program coordinator professional development
  • Finance (GME reimbursement/cost reporting)
  • Funding opportunities via THECB, etc
  • New Innovations RMS set up, maintenance, and training
  • PLA support and approval
  • Policy formulation, development, and implementation
  • Resident/fellow issues: clinical learning environment, well-being, progression challenges, program complaints, welcome/orientation, HEDI curriculum, etc.
  • Scholarly performance support through the Office of Research and Academics (ORA)
  • Site visit preparation support

Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC)

The CHRISTUS Health Graduate Medical Education Committee (GMEC) works collaboratively with the DIO to provide oversight of the sponsoring institution and each of the institution’s GME programs. 

Responsibilities

The GMEC is responsible for oversight of:

  • the ACGME accreditation status for the sponsoring institution and its ACGME-accredited programs
  • the quality of the GME learning and working environment
  • the quality of the educational experiences
  • annual program evaluations and self-studies
  • implementation of institutional policy(ies) for vacation and leaves of absence
  • processes related to reductions and closures of programs, participating sites, and the sponsoring institution
  • the provision of summary information of patient safety reports
  • the sponsoring institution’s Annual Institutional Review (AIR)
  • underperforming programs through a Special Review process

The GMEC is also responsible for review and approval of:

  • institutional GME policies and procedures
  • GMEC subcommittee actions
  • annual recommendations to the sponsoring institution’s administration regarding resident/fellow stipends and benefits
  • applications for ACGME accreditation of new programs
  • requests for permanent changes in resident/fellow complement
  • major changes in each of its ACGME-accredited programs’ structure or duration of education
  • additions and deletions of each of its ACGME-accredited programs’ participating sites
  • appointment of new program directors
  • progress reports requested by a Review Committee
  • responses to Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) reports
  • requests for exceptions to clinical and educational work hour requirements
  • voluntary withdrawal of ACGME program accreditation
  • requests for appeal of an adverse action by a Review Committee; and
  • appeal presentations to an ACGME Appeals Panel
  • exceptionally qualified candidates for resident/fellow appointments who do not satisfy the Sponsoring Institution’s eligibility policy and/or eligibility requirements in the Common Program Requirements

Membership

The various types of members include the DIO, program directors, hospital leadership, patient safety/quality improvement officers, peer-selected residents/fellows, program coordinators, and other individuals involved with GME.

Meetings

CHRISTUS Health GMEC meets 6 times in a given academic year with the option of adding ad hoc meetings if needed. The option of emailing GMEC for an electronic vote for any urgent items that cannot wait to be placed on the next formal meeting agenda, is also made available. There is dedicated time during each meeting for residents/fellows to make requests, discuss issues, and express concerns.

CHRISTUS Health GME

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