Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine ACGME case minimums
Fellows in Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine have a published ACGME minimum in 14 of 19 case categories, and the largest single minimum is 100. Each row below cites the ACGME requirement it was read from; the minimums are effective July 1, 2026.
By Chris, CA-1, anesthesiology
Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine minimums by category
| Category | Fellow performed or directly supervised the procedure | Unique documented new patient encounter |
|---|---|---|
| Spinal (intrathecal) Procedures | 20 | — |
| Epidural Procedures | 20 | — |
| Continuous Peripheral Nerve Block Catheter Placement Procedures | 50 | — |
| Upper Extremity Nerve Block Procedures — Minimum Total | 100 | — |
| Above the Clavicle | 20 | — |
| Below the Clavicle | 20 | — |
| Lower Extremity Nerve Block Procedures — Minimum Total | 100 | — |
| At or Above Proximal Thigh | 20 | — |
| At or Below Mid-Thigh | 20 | — |
| Truncal Block Procedures — Minimum Total | 70 | — |
| Abdominal Blocks | 20 | — |
| Thoracic Blocks | 20 | — |
| ACUTE PAIN EXPERIENCE — New Patients (Unique) | — | 50 |
| CHRONIC PAIN EXPERIENCE — New Patients (Unique) | — | 20 |
| Fellow education must include pediatric experience. | — | — |
| Fellow education must include trauma experience. | — | — |
| Fellow education must include a minimum of five months of regional anesthesia experience | — | — |
| Fellow education must include a minimum of three months of acute pain experience | — | — |
| Fellow education must include at least two weeks of chronic pain experience | — | — |
An em-dash means the ACGME publishes no minimum on that row — not a minimum of zero.
Regional Anesthesiology and Acute Pain Medicine · ACGME specialty 046 · minimums effective July 1, 2026.
Capnolog counts these live for anesthesiology and neurological surgery; other specialties are reference only.
What counts toward a minimum?
- Fellows log cases into categories the ACGME defines, not by procedure code.
- Each minimum is read in its own column: “Fellow performed or directly supervised the procedure” and “Unique documented new patient encounter”.
- 6 rows are drawn from a larger row: those cases count toward that row too, never on top of it.
- The Review Committee for Anesthesiology sets these requirements.
Where do these numbers come from?
- Case Log categories and minimum numbers, March 2023
- Program Requirements, July 1, 2026
- Review Committee FAQ, July 2022
Capnolog is independent of the ACGME; where a number here differs from the ACGME's own document, the document is right.