Surgery of the Hand (Plastic Surgery) ACGME case minimums
Fellows in Surgery of the Hand (Plastic Surgery) have a published ACGME minimum in all 20 case categories, and the largest single minimum is 250. Each row below cites the ACGME requirement it was read from; the minimums are effective October 1, 2020.
By Chris, CA-1, anesthesiology
Surgery of the Hand (Plastic Surgery) minimums by category
| Category | Fellow (surgeon) |
|---|---|
| TOTAL Minimum # cases | 250 |
| Amputations | 5 |
| Carpal tunnel decompression | 20 |
| Extensor tendon repair | 10 |
| Finger arthrodesis or arthroplasty | 8 |
| Fixation of metacarpal fractures | 10 |
| Fixation of phalangeal fractures | 12 |
| Flexor tendon repair | 10 |
| Nerve repair | 10 |
| ORIF/CREF distal radius fractures | 12 |
| Scaphoid fracture | 5 |
| Soft tissue reconstruction | 18 |
| Tendon transfers | 6 |
| Thumb CMC reconstruction | 16 |
| Ulnar nerve decompression, with or without transposition | 15 |
| Vascular repair | 5 |
| Wrist arthroplasty/arthrodesis, limited or complete | 8 |
| Wrist arthroscopy | 5 |
| Wrist instability or dislocation | 10 |
| TOTAL Maximum # cases | 1200 |
Surgery of the Hand (Plastic Surgery) · ACGME specialty 363 · minimums effective October 1, 2020.
Capnolog counts these live for anesthesiology and neurological surgery; other specialties are reference only.
What counts toward a minimum?
- Fellows log each case against its CPT procedure codes, and the ACGME sorts those codes into the categories below.
- Every number is a count in one column, “Fellow (surgeon)”.
- 18 rows are drawn from a larger row: those cases count toward that row too, never on top of it.
- The Review Committees for Orthopaedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and Surgery sets these requirements.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Case Log categories and minimum numbers
- Case Log guidelines, October 2020
- Program Requirements, July 1, 2026
Capnolog is independent of the ACGME. Where a number here and the ACGME's own document disagree, the document is right.