ABMS Announces Leadership Change in 2012

Chicago—June 23, 2011– Kevin B. Weiss, MD, MPH, and the American Board of Medical Specialties announced today that he will leave his position as president and chief executive officer at the end of his current term in December 2012. 

“I feel so privileged to have served ABMS at such a critical juncture,” Dr. Weiss said. “The organization has doubled in size, increased the participation of public representatives in our work and strengthened the meaning of Board Certification and ABMS Maintenance of Certification.®  I look forward to consolidating those gains before a new leader takes the reins.”

“Kevin has moved ABMS forward in all the ways we hoped,” said John McCabe, MD, chair of the Board of Directors.  “Right now physicians need strong voices in the national discussions that are shaping the future of health care delivery.  Kevin has helped ABMS take part in those discussions and speak forcefully for the role of specialty boards in inspiring professionalism and driving improvement in the quality and safety of medical care.”

“When Kevin came to ABMS, we were looking for an agent of change,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, President, National Committee of Quality Assurance and ABMS Board member.  “He has been that change agent and more.  His time here has been marked by dedication to physician excellence, and his absolute focus on patients and the public’s trust in the profession.”

The timing of the announcement will support recruitment for the president who will take ABMS into the next phase of its development.  “We are very pleased that the timeline will allow Kevin to help us with a smooth transition,” said Dr. McCabe. 

“The timing is right,” agreed Dr. Weiss.  “Our 2008-2011 Enhanced Public Trust Initiative program ends in December 2011.  That program set my focus on ABMS’s engagement with the public and on making sure that Maintenance of Certification was on solid footing.  We will be in an excellent position to change leaders without changing direction.”

Since Dr. Weiss began his tenure in 2007, ABMS has:

• Implemented the ABMS Enhanced Public Trust Initiative, a major new thrust to engage ABMS with the public more fully and strengthen its role as an agent of physician accountability.  As a result, ABMS increased the number of public representatives on the ABMS Board of Directors and added them to all Board committees.  The establishment of new committees on ethics, professionalism and health and public policy has sharpened focus on areas of concern to the public. 
  Led the development of a support process to assist Member Boards in developing their Maintenance of Certification programs, which make continuous learning into a central principle of physicians’ ongoing certification in their specialties.  In 2009, the ABMS Board voted in higher standards for MOC, which included developmental standards for a patient safety curriculum and for patient and peer surveys.  All of these developments were consonant with the organization’s commitment to EPTI.
• Launched a major initiative, “Certification Matters,” including the website www.CertificationMatters.org, to strengthen access and awareness among consumers about their physicians’ participation in MOC programs and why patients should care. 
• Doubled the budget from $7 million to $14 million, including major increases in research grants and contracts to the ABMS Research and Education Foundation; increased the staff from 18 to 48; and relocated its offices from Evanston to its current quarters in downtown Chicago, IL.
• Worked successfully with Congress during health care reform and subsequently with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to make ABMS MOC® participation one of the ways physicians can demonstrate continuous learning and meet the requirements of the new Physician Quality Reporting System.
• Initiated planning for the first international program for physician specialty certification, based on the experience of the ABMS Member Boards.
• Launched a major strategic planning initiative, now underway in a process that will contribute to a smooth transition in leadership.

About ABMS
For more than 75 years, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has been the medical organization overseeing physician certification in the United States.  It assists its
24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification of physician specialists.  ABMS
Member Boards provide physician certification information to ABMS for its certification verification service programs.  ABMS is recognized by the key health care credentialing accreditation entities as a primary equivalent source of Board Certification data for medical specialists.  Patients can visit www.CertificationMatters.org or call toll-free (866) ASK-ABMS to see if their physician is Board Certified by an ABMS Member Board.  For more information about ABMS, visit www.abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

The 24 Member Boards that make up the ABMS Board Enterprise and cover over 150 medical specialties and subspecialties include the: American Board of Allergy and Immunology, American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, American Board of Dermatology, American Board of Emergency Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Medical Genetics, American Board of Neurological Surgery, American Board of Nuclear Medicine, American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, American Board of Ophthalmology, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology, American Board of Pathology, American Board of Pediatrics, American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of Preventive Medicine, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American Board of Radiology, American Board of Surgery, American Board of Thoracic Surgery and American Board of Urology.