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Important Factors in Board Certification Recognition

Board Certification RecognitionBoard certification recognition seems to mean different things to members of the medical community.

Because there is no across-the-board national standard when it comes to board certification recognition, the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) firmly believes that it should be based on the ability of the certifying body to adequately and accurately measure the skill and experience of a physician in his or her chosen specialty or specialties. The distinction “board certified” should reflect a physician’s mastery of the core competencies required to provide the best medical care possible. To that end, the Member Boards of the ABPS all maintain rigorous eligibility requirements and testing standards. Any physician who has earned board certification through one of our Member Boards has proven, through written, oral, or hands-on simulation testing, that he or she has earned the right to be considered an accomplished leader in the medical community.

In addition, board certification recognition should hinge on the willingness of physicians to adhere to the highest possible ethical standards. All qualified physicians who seek board certification through an ABPS Member Board are required to take a non-remedial medical ethics course once every eight years to achieve recertification. The ABPS is the only medical board certifying body to require such a course.

How the ABPS Differentiates Itself From Other Certification Boards

Besides being the only board to require ethics training, the ABPS is the only one that offers certification in emerging specialties such as disaster medicine, integrative medicine, and family medicine obstetrics. Additionally, physicians who have extensive experience working in emergency departments, but who completed their residencies in a primary care field, can earn emergency medicine certification with the ABPS without needing to complete an additional residency. Currently, ABPS Diplomates across the various specialties practice at some of the finest healthcare institutions in the country and are in all 50 states, the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Furthermore, the ABPS is:

  • Recognized in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook as a choice for physician board certification
  • Supported by Aperture Credentialing, the nation’s most experienced healthcare provider credentialing company
  • Recognized by various state medical boards as a certifying entity that meets the higher certification standards they require

Board Certification and the Credentialing Process

With a few exceptions, the various state medical boards around the country choose not to distinguish among the three largest physician board certification bodies – the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Osteopathic Association, and the ABPS. However, a small percentage of state medical boards have imposed specific rules for physicians to publicly advertise board certification as part of their medical credentials. It is important to remember that the Joint Commission does not formally recognize any board certification body, although its accreditation standards do state that physician board certification is an excellent benchmark and should be considered during the credentialing process.

Why Become Certified With the ABPS?

Once certified by the ABPS, physicians can expect several benefits. First, they become members of a distinguished community of like-minded professionals committed to offering the highest standard of medical care. With more hospitals than ever prioritizing hiring board-certified physicians, ABPS certification also makes physicians more marketable to employers. Additionally, many insurance providers now offer incentives for hiring board-certified physicians, further encouraging hospitals to hire physicians who are board certified. Meanwhile, the ABPS works to establish relationships with healthcare organizations, hospital groups, and legislators to ensure that our physicians have a voice in the community and that patient care always takes priority over the business side of medicine.

For more information about the stance of the ABPS on physician board certification recognition, or on the meaning of board certification, 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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