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Are Your Hospital’s Medical Staff Bylaws Current?

Diverse group of male and female doctors walking through corridor discussing. medicine, health and healthcare servicesThe American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS) encourages hospital groups and other healthcare organizations to review and update their bylaws, hiring practices, and other protocols to ensure that they remain updated and relevant. Bylaws aim to ensure that a hospital’s medical professionals are appropriately qualified and set a standard of quality that assures patients they can receive safe and effective medical care. But many bylaws now in place were written decades ago when the medical environment was decidedly different.

Why Update Your Hospital’s Bylaws?

As physician board certification continues to grow in importance, so will the competition among hospitals to hire the most talented and dedicated professionals. But when bylaws are outdated or so narrowly written that they recognize only certain physician certifying bodies, hospitals undermine their own efforts to attract qualified physicians and deprive patients of receiving the exceptional medical care that board-certified physicians provide.

Do Your Bylaws Include the ABPS?

The ABPS is one of three primary multi-specialty certifying organizations in the country. We have been focusing on patient care since 1952, offering qualified physicians pragmatic certification options to demonstrate their skills and knowledge in their medical fields. Federal organizations that recognize the ABPS include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Veterans’ Health Administration, and the U.S States Armed Forces. What’s more, the U.S. Department of Labor has revised its definition of multispecialty board certification to specifically include the ABPS alongside the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

ABPS Diplomates Deserve Recognition

Widely considered leaders in their fields, ABPS Diplomates are among the most talented medical professionals practicing today and can be found in all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Canada. It’s little wonder that leading healthcare and credentialing entities such as Greely, HCPro, and the National Association of Medical Staff Services (NAMSS) recognize ABPS-certified physicians. The ABPS understands, however, that credentialing involves more than verifying board certification, but when bylaws exclude our Diplomates, despite their amply demonstrated skills, hospitals miss opportunities to hire top medical specialists who have boosted the reputation of countless healthcare organizations.

Hospitals Should Make Their Bylaws More Inclusive

The ABPS encourages healthcare organizations to revise their medical staff bylaws to include ABPS Diplomates. At the ABPS, we are committed to offering the highest standards in physician board certification that meets the healthcare needs of the public. Our strict eligibility requirements and rigorous examination process ensure that any physician who earns certification through one of our Member Boards has the skills and talent to provide the highest level of patient care.

If you would like more information about the ABPS and how your hospital would be well-served by recognizing our highly skilled Diplomates, contact us today.

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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.

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
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
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
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 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
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
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