Commission Announces Actions In Response to Public Comments

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN, March 3, 2021 – – Upon consideration of public comments, and in recognition of challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) took action at the February Commission meeting to extend the implementation date for ACAOM’s Program Naming Policy by one additional year, to 1 January 2023. 

The Commission is pleased to report that more than one-fourth of all ACAOM-accredited programs/institutions have made the program naming transition and are fully compliant with the Program Naming Policy.  Programs/institutions that have successfully changed their program names are located in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Texas.  To date, no ACAOM-accredited programs/institutions have reported difficulty with state regulatory bodies when making program naming transitions.

Also in response to public comments, the Commission agreed to continue and expand its comprehensive review and analysis of ACAOM practices and policies related to programs offered in languages other than English.  To this end, the Commission is convening a focus group of subject matter experts.  The Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM) has been asked to nominate subject matter experts for Commission consideration, with the intention of convening the group at the earliest feasible opportunity.