No residencies yet for proposed Idaho osteopathic school

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter and backers of a proposed for-profit osteopathic medical school have been touting the 78 new medical residency positions the proposed school says it has created.

But an Associated Press review shows those residency spots don’t yet exist, and the accreditation board responsible for approving them has denied the first step in the process of creating them. A separate accreditation board has also deferred a decision on whether to grant the proposed Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine pre-accreditation status.

Otter was also unaware that Benefis Health Systems in Great Falls, Montana – where all 78 of the positions were to be located – had been denied “sponsoring institution” status by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in August. The denial means the accreditation committee found that Benefis Health Systems “does not demonstrate substantial compliance with the requirements.”

BY REBECCA BOONE
Associated Press

Full Story: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article127024509.html