Coalition for Physician Accountability Releases Statement on Maintaining Quality and Safety Standards Amid COVID-19

The Coalition for Physician Accountability, of which the ACGME is a member, released the statement, Maintaining Quality and Safety Standards Amid COVID-19.

The Coalition for Physician Accountability is a membership organization that engages in discussion and collaboration on matters of common relevance to improve the quality of health care. It was established to promote professional accountability by improving the quality, efficiency, and continuity of the education and assessment of physicians. Recently, the coalition created several work groups to develop common recommendations that address urgent issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and physician education. 

The statement and resources represent one work group's guidance and support for health care administrators and credentialing staff members supporting the contributions of new or volunteer physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Read the statement and resources

The guidance includes:

• Planning: All health care facilities should develop strategies for optimal use of physician resources as resource demands fluctuate.
• Verification: Acknowledging additional flexibility regulators provided; administrators should access readily available licensing, credentialing, and certification data to verify the attestations of volunteers and new recruits.
• Provision of Care: Physicians have an ethical obligation to provide care during disasters even if it means risking their own health; individual risk with a patient should be evaluated against the ability to provide care in the future.
• Protection: Health care professionals must be equipped with appropriate personal protective equipment; physicians must use this protection.
• Training, Education, and Support: Health care professionals asked to practice outside their areas of expertise during the COVID-19 pandemic must have access to: training and educational resources; appropriate mentorship; support; training; and supervision for the type(s) of care.
• Maintenance of Safety Standards: Health care facilities should have contingency plans to maintain safety standards in the face of a demand surge.

Read more about the Coalition's other publications on related topics.