Team Approval FAQ

Applications are due July 2, 2018. Applications must be submitted to ACPA by mail or email.

Each year the Commission on Approval of Teams reviews applications from one region. Teams that apply outside of their region and teams that were denied approval may apply during the current cycle. Teams that are approved off cycle will be required to reapply when their region is up for review – which could be in fewer than 5 years.

The Commission approves teams for a period up to five years. Approved teams will be invited to reapply during the final year of their approval period.

There is a non-refundable initial application fee of US$250.00. If a team is approved, this fee will count as the team’s first year listing fee. There is an annual listing fee of US$175.00 – pay your listing fee online.

Applications containing Protected Health Information may be charged a US$125.00 penalty fee. Please see the below question for details.

For HIPAA compliance purposes, in a process HIPAA calls de-identification, applying teams are required remove all patient identifying information before submitting an application. Identifying information for patients, relatives, and household members includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Names
• Geographic subdivisions smaller than a state (city, school, mailing address, etc)
• Telephone and Fax numbers
• Email addresses
• All birth dates, death dates, admission dates, and discharge dates. The year should remain unredacted.
• Full face photographs
• Social security numbers
• Medical record numbers
• Account numbers
• Any other unique numbers, codes, or characteristics that can be linked to an individual

Applications containing any patient identifying information will not be reviewed and will be returned for redactions. If an application is returned a second time, an additional US$125.00 fee will be due upon resubmission.

Here’s how to update your team listing online.

Teams will be contacted by August 1 if additional materials are needed to support the application.

Teams will be notified of their approval status in November of the year in which they apply.

The person with overall responsibility of the administrative unit under which the team operates is the authorizing individual. Some examples:

• President or CEO of the hospital
• Dean of the university school or department
• President or Board Chair of a corporation