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ABPS Recognition & Credentialing Resources

Hospitals, health systems, payers, credentialing professionals, employers, and physicians need reliable information when evaluating board certification. At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), we make it easier to primary-source verify our Diplomates, review our certification standards, understand recognition of ABPS credentials, and obtain documentation for credentialing and policy decisions.

ABPS was founded in 1952 and currently has 12 Member Boards with Diplomates in 22 medical specialties. Our goal is to provide clear, evidence-based resources that organizations can use as part of their own credentialing review. Each hospital, employer, health plan, and other organization establishes its own credentialing policies, but we are ready to provide the information and support needed to make an informed decision.

Start With the Resource You Need

Visitors to our Recognition & Credentialing Resource Center can begin with one of three primary actions:

  • Verify an ABPS Diplomate to confirm a physician’s current certification status.
  • View credentialing resources for information about our standards, recognition, primary-source verification, and supporting documentation.
  • Get bylaw and policy support for assistance reviewing organizational language or considering updates that include ABPS certification.

Whether you are verifying one physician or reviewing organization-wide credentialing policies, these resources provide a clear starting point.

ABPS Recognition and Credentialing Support

ABPS certification represents a physician’s successful completion of rigorous eligibility and examination requirements established by the appropriate Member Board. Our certification standards emphasize medical education and training, specialty knowledge, professional experience, ethical conduct, and psychometrically evaluated examinations.

We also recognize that credentialing organizations need more than general statements about certification. They need documentation they can evaluate and verify.

That is why we provide resources that help credentialing professionals understand our certification standards and evaluate ABPS within their own policies. Our Member Boards are listed in the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare’s CAQH ProView application, a platform used by healthcare organizations and health plans to collect provider credentialing information. All ABPS Diplomates’ and applicants’ credentials are primary-source verified through Verisys, a credential verification organization accredited by The Joint Commission and NCQA.

The National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) provides another useful point of reference. Its 2025 Ideal Credentialing Standards identifies the American Board of Physician Specialties among sources medical services professionals can use for primary-source board-certification verification.

How to Review ABPS Certification for Credentialing

Organizations reviewing an ABPS-certified physician can use a straightforward process.

First, verify the physician’s certification. Our Diplomate verification tool allows hospitals, credentialing professionals, patients, and other users to search by physician name or certificate number and confirm certification status.

Next, review the appropriate ABPS Member Board and specialty. ABPS oversees 12 Member Boards representing 22 specialties, including emergency medicine, family medicine, internal medicine, dermatology, anesthesiology, integrative medicine, disaster medicine, and family medicine obstetrics.

Then, compare ABPS certification requirements with your organization’s credentialing criteria. Our certification policies provide information about eligibility, certification and recertification, examinations, credential verification, ethics, complaints, appeals, and other policies relevant to candidates and credentialing organizations.

Finally, request additional documentation when needed. Our team can provide supporting materials and answer questions when a hospital, payer, employer, or credentialing committee needs more information about ABPS standards or a certification pathway.

Recognition Should Be Reviewed Using Current Documentation

Credentialing requirements differ among healthcare organizations, payers, jurisdictions, and programs. For that reason, we encourage decision-makers to evaluate specific, current documentation rather than rely on broad assumptions about board certification.

Despite growing recognition of ABPS board certification, some hospitals may still operate under outdated bylaws or credentialing policies that limit physician choice and patient access. As industry leaders continue to update their standards to include ABPS, we encourage hospitals and health systems to review their policies to ensure they reflect current recognition standards and support access to qualified board-certified physicians.

ABPS is recognized across federal and state organizations, healthcare systems, credentialing entities, professional associations, and health plans. This includes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans Health Administration, and U.S. Armed Forces. Most recently, CMS approved certification by the ABPS Board of Certification in Dermatology as meeting the board-certification requirement for CLIA technical supervisors in dermatopathology. ABPS Member Boards are also included in CAQH ProView, a widely used healthcare credentialing platform.

Recognition continues to expand throughout the healthcare industry. Organizations including Greeley, HCPro, and the National Association Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) acknowledge ABPS as a choice in physician board certification, with additional recognition among state medical boards, health systems, and health plans nationwide.

Bylaw and Policy Support for Healthcare Organizations

Medical staff bylaws and credentialing policies do not always keep pace with changes in physician certification. Some policies may contain language written years ago that names only certain certifying organizations rather than establishing broader criteria for acceptable board certification.

If your organization is reviewing its bylaws, we can help.

Our Recognition Toolkit includes information for introducing ABPS certification to hospital leadership, sample correspondence, credentialing information, recognition materials, and sample policy language. Our External Affairs team can also work with health systems and credentialing professionals who have questions about incorporating ABPS into organizational policies.

We provide documentation and sample policy language that can support an independent review by medical executive committees, credentialing committees, legal counsel, medical staff professionals, and other decision-makers.

Credentialing and Recognition Resources

To make that review easier, this resource center brings key materials together in one place. Available resources may include:

  • Diplomate verification tools for primary source verification of ABPS certification.
  • ABPS certification standards and policies explaining eligibility, examination, certification, recertification, and credential verification.
  • The ABPS Fact Sheet that provides an overview of our history, Member Boards, specialties, and recognition.
  • Hospital introduction materials for presenting ABPS to medical executive committees and credentialing leaders.
  • Sample letters and policy language that organizations can consider when updating bylaws or credentialing requirements.
  • Health plan and payer resources explaining issues related to payer recognition and verification.
  • State licensure and advertising information addressing the distinction between medical licensure and the rules governing how physicians represent board certification.
  • Diplomate Mark guidelines explaining appropriate use of the ABPS certification mark.
  • External Affairs support for Diplomates and organizations addressing employment, insurance, credentialing, or recognition questions.

Frequently Asked Credentialing Questions

How can an organization verify ABPS certification?

Use our ABPS certification resource to search for a Diplomate by name or certificate number. The verification tool allows credentialers, hospitals, patients, and others to confirm active certification status.

Does ABPS provide primary-source credentialing information?

We provide verification resources and supporting documentation for credentialing professionals. ABPS Diplomates and applicants have been primary source verified by Aperture, a Joint Commission and National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accredited Credentials Verification Organization (CVO).

Do all hospitals and payers accept ABPS certification?

While hospital credentialing policies can vary by institution, the vast majority of insurance companies credential ABPS board-certified physicians. ABPS is recognized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and ABPS Member Boards are listed in CAQH ProView, a widely used platform for provider credentialing and health plan enrollment.

What if our medical staff bylaws do not currently mention ABPS?

Our bylaw-support materials include sample language and resources to help organizations update their policies to reflect current industry standards, which increasingly recognize and include ABPS board certification. Our External Affairs team can also answer questions and provide supporting information for credentialing committees and hospital leadership.

Where can Diplomates get help with a recognition issue?

Diplomates facing questions involving employment, payer participation, hospital credentialing, or recognition can work with our External Affairs team. We encourage physicians to involve us early so we can provide relevant documentation and help clarify ABPS certification standards.

Find the ABPS Resource You Need

Clear credentialing decisions begin with reliable information. Whether you need to verify an ABPS Diplomate, review our credentialing resources, or access bylaw and policy support, we are committed to making current documentation easy to find and understand.

Use our verification tools to confirm certification, explore the Recognition Toolkit for supporting materials, or reach out to our External Affairs team when your organization needs additional documentation or assistance evaluating ABPS certification.

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Patient Care Is Our Priority

Medical organizations throughout North America understand that our rigorous certification standards prove that ABPS Diplomates are capable of delivering the best patient care possible.

With declining access for maternity care amid rising maternal mortality, ABPS and their Board Certification in Family Medicine Obstetrics has been essential for me and many of my colleagues in getting privileges and thereby creating local access for mothers and their children.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
John B. Waits, MD
Family Medicine Obstetrics
Board certification through the American Board of Physician Specialties has served to substantiate my interest and additional training in several fields of medicine including Internal Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Administrative Medicine. As a result, I have been able to serve my community in clinical, disaster response, and administrative medicine roles. Through the ABPS, I have become recognized as a leader in my various fields of interest.

Spencer Price MD, MPH, MBA
Administrative Medicine
In this era, when continuous updated medical knowledge means so much to you, when quality of emergency care matters most to you ,when you need to excel in your medical career to continue providing exceptional service to your critically ill patients, please consider board certification with the Boad of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). Where your knowledge & expertise translates to credentialing & certification with wider approval & recognition every day at many fronts. We Welcome you to join our team for a brighter future of our emergency healthcare where dedication to profession relies not solely on clinical practice but also on sound academic certification.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashraf A. Gerges, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
Board certification in Orthopedic Surgery through the American Board of Physician Specialties validated my training and surgical experience through a process that was both rigorous and respectful of real-world practice. ABPS recognizes clinical competence, not just credentials, and that sets it apart.

Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Ashish Anand, MD, FAASOS
Orthopedic Surgery
The American Board of Physician Specialties is a forward- thinking organization that focuses on where Medicine is going, not just where it has been. Traditional Certification Boards like Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Dermatology are represented as are Integrative Medicine, Disaster Medicine, and Family Medicine-Obstetrics. Physicians appreciate the ability to showcase their skills and knowledge through Board Certification, and this organization allows excellent physicians the ability to bring their skills to patients. The dedication and commitment of this organization and its volunteers will ensure ongoing distinction and commitment for decades to come.

Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Jeffrey B. Stricker, DO, MBA, FAASD
Dermatology
Serving as a member on the American board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM) for many years and now serving as a Member at Large of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) has been an enriching and rewarding experience. The board’s commitment to excellence, integrity, and positive impact is truly inspiring. I am grateful to collaborate with such a dedicated and visionary group, and I am proud of the meaningful progress we continue to achieve together.

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
Integrative Medicine
There are many ways board certification advances a physician career. ABPS Board examination verifies your accuracy, precision, and reflects your mastery of your residency training verifying your expertise. ABPS Board certification demonstrates your level of expertise beyond your practice experience, primary education degrees, and training which are necessary for insurance reimbursement and practice privilege requirements. Attaining your ABPS Board Certification will clarify your purpose, secure your practice growth, and expand into leadership positions. Board certification can serve as an indication of a physician’s commitment to medicine, beyond the minimal standards and competency of training, their measurement to quality of care, and attaining an award for excellence.

Chris Kunis MD
Internal Medicine
When the American Board of Physician Specialties offered to host the American Board of Integrative Medicine, ABPS became a landmark organization working to move medicine into the twenty first century. Certifying physicians who have completed rigorous academic training in Integrative Medicine ensures that the field of Integrative Medicine will continue to develop academically, clinically, and professionally. The leadership of ABPS continues to impress me - they are diligent in constantly innovating to provide certifications for physicians who want to advance their careers and their areas of expertise. I am honored to be a part of this organization.

Ann Marie Chiasson, MD
Integrative Medicine
On October 18, 2007, President George W. Bush released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 21 (HSPD-21), calling on our nation, among other initiatives, to “collectively support and facilitate the establishment of a discipline of disaster health”. It is a great testament to the wisdom and foresight of the American Board of Physician Specialties that it immediately set to work and created, within the short span of only one year, an educational blueprint and set of certification examinations, both written and oral, for a new subspecialty of disaster medicine—and it is why I chose to be part this vital initiative and this wonderful organization. This is but one of the many innovative programs initiated by the American Board of Physician Specialties over the years, and why I am proud to support its work on behalf of our nation’s public health.

Art Cooper, MD
Disaster Medicine
Far too often, medicine is led by less than 5% of non-practicing physicians taking away and replacing the voice of the 95% of physicians practicing and placing patient safety and care first on the front lines every day. The American Board of Physician Specialties has raised the standards in physician board certification not only in the quality of their boards of certification, but in hearing and allowing for the voice of those active physicians caring directly for patients. Having been a part of the ABPS over the last 28 years has allowed me to grow as a woman leader in a field often wrought with challenges. It helped me and others raise the bar of the standards of care in my specialty, Emergency Medicine, through their Board Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM). ABPS also helped raise the standards of care for 21st century medicine through their certifications in other specialties, particularly in Integrative Medicine & Disaster Medicine. Having physician voices heard matters to medicine and is essential in the betterment of patient safety and care.

Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Sarah E. Gilbert, MD, FAAEP
Emergency Medicine
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