ABPS Board Certification in Hospital Medicine, Emergency Medicine Can Help Hospital Executives Mitigate the Physician Shortage
Hospital administrators face many challenges in the early 21st century as the American healthcare system evolves to meet the requirements of an ever-changing population base. Managing a hospital might never have been more complicated than it is now. Even as treatment methods become more advanced and anticipated outcomes improve daily, the changing healthcare landscape is trickier than ever for hospital CEOs to navigate.
Yet, one issue confronting hospital CEOs – the ongoing, system-wide shortage of qualified physicians – can be directly addressed, in part, by the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS). In a recent survey conducted by medical staffing company AMN Healthcare, 86 percent of 400 hospital CEOs who participated said that they are currently recruiting physicians. In a related question, 94 percent of CEOs surveyed admitted that recruiting physicians is difficult and/or challenging.
How can the ABPS help?
Hospital CEOs who are concerned about the depth of the physician talent pool might actually find themselves limited by the very policies that are meant to help ensure the best medical care possible. Physician board certification is a crucial method for demonstrating that a physician possesses the knowledge base, skill set, and experience to deliver the best possible care in a given specialty. In some cases, a hospital’s hiring policies might actually be limited to only one multi-specialty certifying body. This is short sighted, but is easily remedied.
The ABPS embraces a wider acceptance for the practice of qualified primary care physicians with significant hospital practice and/or emergency department experience to earn physician board certification in a relevant specialty such as hospital medicine or emergency medicine. The ABPS developed the nation’s only comprehensive and dedicated board of certification governed by hospitalists, the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABHM). The standards of the ABHM and all ABPS Member Boards are rigorous, and applicants must pledge to abide by the organization’s code of ethics.
If you are a hospital CEO or represent a recruiting agent for a hospital and would like to learn more about how the ABPS can help mitigate the physician shortage crisis, contact us today.