All Entries Tagged With: "american board of physician specialties"
ABPS releases details about American Board of Hospital Medicine requirements
In a statement to HCPro, the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) released details about its certification standards. The ABPS last month announced the first board certification for hospitalists ever with the establishment of the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABHM), which has generated debate amongst the hospitalist community about its validity as a certifying board.
“The ABPS establishes high standards for physicians to demonstrate that they not only have the appropriate medical education and residency training, but also can demonstrate, through ABPS examinations, that they have the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to practice medicine safely and effectively in their specialty,” according to the statement.
Does certification = competency?
When I learned that the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) announced a board certification in hospital medicine, I was surprised, intrigued, and skeptical. After managing hospital medicine practices for more than 11 years, I’ve seen the idea expand from a curious new concept to an accepted practice in hospitals across the country. Yet, today, the title of hospitalist remains a job description, not a certified medical specialty.
From a program management perspective, knowing that the hospitalists I employ have the same certification and credentials creates some expectation of consistency across the board. [more]
Who is a qualified hospitalist?
The recent formation of the American Board of Hospital Medicine (ABHM) creates a new wrinkle in the ongoing quest by hospitalists to define themselves and get recognition for their unique skills. Many hospitalists have been seeking a special board certification unique to their specialty. The new ABHM would seem to fit the bill, except for a few things.
One problem is that ABHM is not part of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which is the umbrella organization for the major boards such as American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and American Board of Surgery (ABS). ABHM belongs to an organization called the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), which hosts a number of boards that parallel the major boards. [more]
Tips to combat board certification scams
Back in October, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) issued a warning, cautioning against “phony certification boards.” Among the organizations listed as fraudulent was the American Board of Hospitalist Physicians (ABOHP), a non-profit medical organization based in Highland, IN that offers “diplomate certification,” according to the ABOHP Web site. The ABOHP is a component of the Congregation of Fellowship Organization for Medical, Humanitarian, Scientific, Education, and Religious and Family Values Ministries, according to the Web site. [more]
Board certification for hospitalists coming soon?
The American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) announced on Wednesday the new American Board of Hospital Medicine, offering board certification exclusively for inpatient specialists for the first time ever, according to the Jan. 12 ABPS press release.
In response, however, Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM)’s President Pat Cawley, MD, sent an email notification to its members two days later, stating SHM has no ties to ABPS: “The Society of Hospital Medicine is in no way affiliated with the American Board of Physician Specialties and was not involved with the creation of the so-called American Board in Hospital Medicine,” said Crawley in the press release. [more]
