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What is the ABHM (American Board of Hospital Medicine)?

ABHMThe American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABHM) was founded to provide physicians who have made a career working in hospitals the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the core competencies required to render the best treatment possible. The existence of the ABHM is an acknowledgement of the increasing importance of the hospitalist profession on the medical landscape in the United States.

The ABHM’s establishment was a natural response to the emergence of Hospital Medicine as a specialty in the 1990s, when a significant shift occurred to hospitalist-based care from on-call primary care physicians who managed their inpatients. Not even a nationwide shortage of hospital physicians has altered that model substantially over the years. One way to combat the shortage of qualified hospital physicians is for the medical community to embrace physician board certification through the ABHM, a member board of the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS®). Along with this, it is incumbent on the medical community (medical students and qualified primary care physicians, especially) to consider Hospital Medicine as an important and viable specialty.

The ABHM is a comprehensive board with its own standing, rejecting the notion of Hospital Medicine as a subspecialty. The ABHM was developed to respond to immediate needs as well as projected growth and changes to the nature of Hospital Medicine in the coming years. Here are just a few shifts that could occur in the near future:

  • The formation of more hospitalist group practices in the United States
  • The development of Hospital Medicine subspecialties, such as geriatrics and pediatrics
  • Greater leadership roles for hospitalists as hospitals expand their leadership acumen and expand their core body of clinical knowledge

The ABHM is the only board of its kind that is constituted and governed by hospitalists, not sub-specialists. For more information about the future of Hospital Medicine, or to learn about the ABHM eligibility requirements and exam schedule, contact the ABPS. The ABPS is the official multi-specialty board certifying body of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc.

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

The American Board of Physician Specialties has provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of internal medicine through board certification. As a hospitalist, board certification is an expected credential, and hospitals recognize the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) as one of the three standard credentialling bodies for Internal Medicine. Additionally, the ABPS has helped me develop leadership skills as a Board member and Committee Chairperson. ABPS has also helped me sharpen critical thinking skills as a test question developer and reviewer. The Allopathic (MD) and Osteopathic (DO) physicians in the ABPS are lifelong learners and frequently pursue multiple board certifications. I enjoy the camaraderie of my peers in ABPS.

Loren Jay Chassels, DO
Internal Medicine
When I think historically, advancement in medicine and patient safety and care has been driven by the diversity of people and scientific thought. That’s what I found at the ABPS and more. For over 60 years that is just who we are. I found a physician certifying body that provides a choice and voice to all physicians ensuring that patients are always placed first.

Jerry Allison, MD
Emergency Medicine
When I decided to pursue a full time role as a physician executive it was important to me to obtain additional professional training, education and work experience. Board certification through the ABPS in Administrative Medicine is validation of my efforts and a demonstration of dedication to professional development. We need more physicians to become full time health care executives, knowing there is a board certification option in Administrative Medicine encourages physicians to take the leap from full time clinical practice to healthcare organizational leadership.

Richard Paula, MD
Administrative Medicine
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