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Hospitals Are Implementing Integrative Medicine Programs

Integrative Medicine Hospitals ABOIMAcross the country, hospitals are implementing Integrative Medicine programs in response to an uptick in demand from patients for complementary and alternative treatment options. In fact, Integrative Medicine has become one of the fastest-growing specialties in North American healthcare because it strives to leverage all treatment methods available to deliver the best possible patient outcomes. At the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS), we recognized the growing demand for Integrative Medicine and developed the nation’s first and only Member Board dedicated solely to providing board certification in this field – the American Board of Integrative Medicine® (ABOIM). We work with hospital recruiters, credentialing bodies, and healthcare organizations of all sizes to ensure that our Diplomates have the opportunity to help this specialty continue to evolve and become further integrated in community healthcare systems.

Integrative Medicine Board Certification

The growth of Integrative Medicine programs in American hospitals is particularly notable when you consider the significant legwork that goes into opening a new department in an established hospital organization. Not only does it require significant inter-departmental cooperation to handle the legwork associated with starting a new department, hospital recruiters also must be sure to recruit highly trained physicians who specialize in this emerging field. This is where the ABOIM can be extremely beneficial. Our community of Diplomates have met our rigorous eligibility requirements, passed a standardized, psychometrically validated written examination, and demonstrated verified experience in the field. In other words, this process can help recruiters determine competency in the specialty among physician candidates.

Core Principles of Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine emphasizes a holistic approach to patient care, evaluating the entire person—mind, body, and spirit—rather than just symptoms or diseases. This comprehensive perspective helps physicians fully understand a patient’s health and collaborate effectively to enhance their overall well-being. As integrative medicine continues to receive wider recognition, its core principles steadfastly guide its practice:

  • To take into account all factors that impact health, wellness, and disease.
  • To integrate both conventional and alternative methods to support the body’s natural healing processes.
  • To prefer less invasive and less harmful interventions when suitable, addressing the whole person in addition to the disease.
  • To ensure that medical practices are grounded in rigorous science, encourage continual inquiry, and remain receptive to new ideas.
  • To foster healthcare as a cooperative partnership between the physician and the patient.

At the ABOIM, we work closely with hospital recruiters, lawmakers, credentialers, and other stakeholders to ensure that our Diplomates are given ample opportunity to help this emerging specialty continue to grow across the country. Today, our Diplomates work in hospitals of all sizes, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and various other leading healthcare providers across North America.

It is our belief that having highly experienced, eminently qualified physicians on staff is of the utmost importance for any healthcare organization, and hospital recruiters can be confident that our Diplomate pool includes physicians who are among the best and brightest in Integrative Medicine.

Integrative Medicine Pioneer Endorses ABOIM

Andrew Weil, MD, the founder of integrative medicine, fully supports the American Board of Integrative Medicine (ABOIM), praising its establishment as a crucial advancement for the specialty.

“As a founder of the field of Integrative Medicine, I strongly support the American Board of Integrative Medicine,” Weil said. “The formation of ABOIM marks an important milestone in the development of the field. Finally there’s a way for qualified physicians to present themselves as experts in offering competent integrative care to patients.”

To learn more about the ABOIM or the ABPS, contact us today.

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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.

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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