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Integrative Medicine Board Certification: The Next Step for Integrative Medicine Fellows

Dr. Lance Luria Lance Luria, MD FACP, is an Integrative Healthcare Solutions consultant in Springfield, MO, who specializes in integrative medicine focusing on pain management for self-funded companies and other organizations that take financial risk. He previously served as vice president and chief medical officer at Mercy Care Management, part of Mercy Health, where he successfully integrated both health and wellness, and integrative medicine concepts within a managed care setting. He is president of the Institute of Integrative Pain Management, a 501c3 organization promoting provider education in integrative pain management.

Dr. Luria completed a fellowship from the University of Arizona’s Center for Integrative Medicine under the chairmanship of Andrew Weil, MD, and went on to become board certified in the specialty at the American Board of Integrative Medicine® (ABOIM®), which is governed by the American Board of Physician Specialties® (ABPS).

“I was inspired to become an integrative medicine fellow after participating in a breakout session about integrative medicine at a conference,” Dr. Luria said. “I thought it was terrific, and after that, integrative medicine became a calling. I wasn’t expecting it, but I was open to it.”

Integrative medicine adds a fresh dimension to traditional medical practice, he says, but he emphasizes that integrative medicine fellowships and board certification are vital to the ongoing success of the specialty.

“Without board certification, integrative medicine would have no real standing in the medical industry,” he says.

An integrative medicine fellowship is like going to college, Dr. Luria explains. A fellowship exposes you to experts and gives you the education you need to sufficiently articulate the benefits of integrative medicine and then implement it in practice. “By becoming an integrative medicine fellow, I shaved about 20 years off the time I would have needed to gain the same amount of knowledge.”

When it comes to fellowships and board certification, he says it behooves you to work with organizations that have real standing among integrative medicine practitioners and in the medical community at large. According to Dr. Luria, working with a recognized certifying body that offers psychometrically evaluated testing assembled by experts “levels the playing field” because it provides fellows with the credibility necessary for integrative medicine to be accepted alongside mainstream medicine.

Being board certified in integrative medicine means you have the knowledge to discuss integrative medicine treatment with physicians in other specialties, Dr. Luria says.

As an example of how beneficial certification can be, he recalls his long experience in managed care. “When it comes to implementing an integrative medicine program, or any other program for that matter, you’ll never get a seat at the table unless you can convince the person who pays the organization’s bills.” Certification, he says, gives you the legitimacy to convince organizations about the cost efficiency of establishing an integrative medicine modality, whether it’s massage or acupuncture. With certification from a recognized and respected board, you have the standing to demonstrate that high-touch, low-tech treatment interventions are less expensive and can lead to better patient outcomes.

“In the future, to advance in your career, or if you want to set up a program, you’ll have to be board certified,” Dr. Luria says. “I would tell fellows considering certification with the ABOIM that the decision is really a no-brainer.”

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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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