Preaccreditation is the next step for a proposed new COM seeking accreditation. When a new COM receives preaccreditation status, it has achieved the privilege of recognition by the AOA COCA and this status is announced publicly. In order to achieve this status, the new COM must show that it has the plans and resources that would allow them to proceed to provisional accreditation within 5 years. A COM that has been granted preaccreditation status cannot, however, recruit, accept applications from, or admit students.
Applicants for preaccreditation must submit a feasibility study to the AOA COCA that assesses its sustainability as a new COM. The AOA COCA requires a new COM to hire a dean and a chief academic officer at least 6 months before it submits the feasibility study. The associate or assistant deans must be hired at the time that preaccreditation status is awarded. The chief academic officer must have a DO degree from an AOA COCA– accredited COM and be board certified. The dean is expected to guide the development of the feasibility study through all steps of the accreditation process. The AOA COCA reserves the right to not review a feasibility study if the COM cannot verify that the dean had a leadership role in preparing the document.
To assess the sustainability of a new COM, the feasibility study must address 9 criteria, which are described in detail in The Standards.
11(pp31-33) Initially, a financial pro forma statement must be provided by a nationally recognized accounting or management firm. The new COM must show the amount of support that they have from their community and state, including their state osteopathic association. The applicant COM must have an organizational structure and functioning governing body and, if part of a parent institution, show commitment to the COM's mission and objectives. Planning and progress for clerkship training must be evident. In addition, financial support must be adequate and account for construction costs, operating reserve, and an escrowed reserve fund that is "100% wholly owned assets of the COM or its parent institution."
11(p32) Finally, the new COM must show educational planning and progress in creating GME opportunities. To show that they comply with this criterion, and to ensure consistency in documentation, all new COMs are required to complete a clinical rotations and GME workbook that has been developed by the AOA COCA.
When the feasibility study, along with a letter of application and a nonrefundable fee of $32,000, is received in the AOA COCA office, it will be reviewed by the AOA COCA Executive Committee, which comprises the AOA COCA chair, the AOA COCA vice chair, and 3 additional AOA COCA commissioners appointed by the AOA COCA chair. This review for technical completeness, usually done by means of teleconference, is to assure that if a site visit for preaccreditation were to be authorized, a site visit team would reasonably be able to assess whether the new COM was in compliance with AOA COCA standards and procedures. If the AOA COCA Executive Committee determines that the feasibility study is complete, a site visit is authorized and a team is assembled to visit the new COM. The AOA COCA Executive Committee can also authorize a site visit for preaccreditation but stipulate that 1 or more of the elements in the feasibility study need additional information, which could be obtained during the site visit.
The site visit team for preaccreditation will review all elements of the feasibility study, as well as the following standards:
The site visit team will conduct its visit and write a report, which will be delivered to the AOA COCA at its next scheduled meeting. At that time, the AOA COCA will make its decision of whether or not to grant preaccreditation status to the new COM.
The AOA COCA reviews a new COM's preaccreditation status annually for up to 5 years. In addition, COMs with preaccreditation status are required to submit an annual report to be reviewed by the AOA COCA. The AOA COCA may continue the COM's preaccreditation status, withdraw the COM's preaccreditation status, or authorize another site visit. It is expected that a COM will attain provisional accreditation status during this 5-year period. Failure of a COM to reach provisional accreditation status during this 5-year period results in the AOA COCA's termination of the COM's preaccreditation status.