CLER as mud

Back in April, I raised the question of why the ACGME was not publishing the results of its surveys with regard to CLER, Clinical Learning Environmental Review.  The program description states:

CLER emphasizes the responsibility of the sponsoring institution for the quality and safety of the environment for learning and patient care, a key dimension of the 2011 ACGME Common Program Requirements. The intent of CLER is “to generate national data on program and institutional attributes that have a salutary effect on quality and safety in settings where residents learn and on the quality of care rendered after graduation.”

CLER provides frequent on-site sampling of the learning environment that will:

• increase the educational emphasis on patient safety demanded by the public; and,
• provide opportunity for sponsoring institutions to demonstrate leadership in patient safety, quality improvement, and reduction in health care disparities.

The question remains, months later:  Where is the data that the ACGME collects about this important GME quality and safety curriculum? Why can't medical students who are interested in joining hospitals with vibrant patient safety and quality programs see it during their residency match process?

And fundamentally, why won't the ACGME model the kind of transparency that is needed to bring about clinical process improvement?