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Awards and Accreditations

Internal Medicine Residency Earns 5-Year Accreditation
December 4, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BMC Internal Medicine Residency Program Achieves National Reaccreditation: Five Year Approval is Longest Granted by ACGME PITTSFIELD, MA - The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has granted continued accreditation for the Berkshire Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency program, with the next review not scheduled for five years, or the longest period between reviews by the ACGME. The BMC program first achieved ACGME accreditation in 1961, and has since that time been continually reaccredited. “The five year accreditation by the ACGME is the best that can be achieved in the United States, and this level of accreditation is a show of confidence by the ACGME that the program is exceeding the standards,” said Diane Kelly, RN, Interim Chief Operating Officer of BMC. “This is a testament to the dedicated efforts of the Internal Medicine Residency program’s leadership and teamwork. Our Internal Medicine Residency is second to none in its quality, providing the highest level of training for our residents, and in return, the highest level of care they provide to our patients.” “The strength of our program is reflective of the exceptional level of expertise of our faculty,” said Dr. David Albert, Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency program. “Our residents have the distinction of being mentored by physicians with extensive experience and who are often nationally recognized as leaders in their fields. This multidisciplinary approach to resident training is of tremendous benefit to our residents and to the patients we serve.” The ACGME is a private, non-profit council that evaluates and accredits medical residency programs in the United States. Programs must be ACGME-accredited in order to receive federal graduate medical education funds and residents must graduate from accredited programs to take board certification exams. In addition, many states require completion of an ACGME-accredited residency for licensure. ACGME field staff conducts program site visits every two to five years, depending on the strength of the program. Programs are evaluated in the areas of resident performance, faculty development, graduate performance, including certification examination performance and program quality.