Data Sources & Methodology

MatchPath aggregates 7+ independent public datasets into one catalog. We don't take a single vendor's word for a value: where sources overlap, we cross-reference them, and conflicting values are flagged rather than silently merged. Each field records the date it was last verified so you can judge freshness, and the catalog refreshes on regular ingest cycles (not per request).

• ACGME — Accreditation status and history, accredited length of training, last site visit, and the canonical program identity (ACGME id).
• FREIDA (AMA) — Program profiles: positions, IMG resident percentage, J-1/H-1B visa sponsorship, PGY-1 salary, Step 2 CK expectations, application requirements, work-hours/culture, and resident demographics.
• NRMP Program Directory — Match codes, match status, and SOAP eligibility, plus the directory links for each track.
• CMS — Teaching-hospital quality — the Overall Star Rating, Care Compare measure groups (safety of care, mortality, readmission, and HCAHPS patient experience — each scored better/same/worse vs the national average), and facility metrics for the primary teaching site, plus CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act): drug/device-maker payments to the teaching hospital, joined by CMS Certification Number.
• The Leapfrog Group — The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade (A–F) for the primary teaching hospital — an independent letter grade of how well a hospital protects patients from errors, injuries, and infections — joined by CMS Certification Number and refreshed each publication cycle.
• NIH RePORTER — Federal research funding — the teaching hospital's total NIH grant awards and active project count, matched by an exact/near-exact institution-name crosswalk (high-confidence only), feeding the MatchPath Program Score's research signal.
• ResidencyProgramsList — Supplementary program coverage used to widen and cross-check the catalog.
• Zillow & Realtor.com — Area cost-of-living near each program's ZIP — median 1BR/2BR rent, listings, property-tax rate, median home value, environmental risk, livability scores, and nearby schools.
• World Directory of Medical Schools (WDOMS) + public LinkedIn — The medical-school catalog and aggregate alumni→program evidence — which residency programs a school's graduates have matched into, as counts only (never alumni names).
• Program & hospital websites — Logos, banners, about copy, official website URLs, leadership/faculty where published, and open positions advertised on a program's own openings page.

Treat the per-field verification date as the freshness signal. The catalog updates on ingest cycles, so a figure reflects the most recent successful refresh of that source — not a live feed. Rental and cost-of-living figures are directional estimates from a periodic listing sample; verify before acting on them.

All catalog data is public, with two exceptions we never publish: contact PII — resident, faculty, and coordinator emails, phone numbers, and fax numbers — and resident and faculty photos. Your own activity in the app stays private to your account (see our Privacy Policy).

MatchPath is an independent aggregator and is not affiliated with ACGME, AAMC, FREIDA, NRMP, CMS, ECFMG, or any residency program. Source names and trademarks belong to their respective owners and are used only to attribute data. See About MatchPath for more.

Spotted something off? Each program page has a "Report incorrect data" control, or email data@matchpath.app and we'll investigate against the source.