Monitoring Ophthalmology Graduate Education: The Residency Review Committee

Formal monitoring of quality control in American graduate medical education is the task of the residency review committees (RRCs). The RRC for ophthalmology consists of nine members appointed by the American Board of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the American Medical Association. The RRC meets twice each year to determine the accreditation status of residency training programs. As of 1978, residents are board eligible only if they have graduated from accredited programs. The review process is based on data collected in standard hospital information forms and a site survey. An RRC member evaluates this information and makes a recommendation that is discussed and voted on by the nine-member RRC body. In response to pressures for greater quality control and regulatory visibility, the review process has been bolstered by improvements in the data-gathering forms and in the surveyors and by a revision of the minimum requirements for accreditation that provides clearer and more stringent guidelines.