NI IV: Achieving Mastery of CLER, focused on navigating the ACGME’s new CLER program. The CLER program was designed to evaluate the level of institutional responsibility for the quality and safety of the learning and patient care environment, and NI IV provided teams the training and guidance necessary to a) identify strengths and weaknesses across the six focus areas, b) prioritize areas for improvement, c) outline, streamline and implement improvement strategies, and, d) significantly and measurably advance the institutional level of preparedness.
The overall structure of NI IV had three compliments: monthly teleconferences, monthly assignments, and four live meetings. Monthly team teleconference groups were structured by area (Patient Safety, Quality Improvement, Transitions of Care, Supervision, Fatigue Management, or Professionalism), with cross pollination and sharing of best practices across all six areas occurring at the on-site meetings. Institutions that had already experienced a CLER visit were spread throughout the teleconference groups so their experience reaches a wide audience. The AIAMC has developed a repository of critical information from institutions with CLER site visit experience (key learnings, surprises, ‘insider’ tips, etc.), which will be updated regularly and shared with all participants. On-site meeting sessions addressed, among other things: how to prepare for a visit and how to better engage the c-suite.