ABMS Elects James G. Lifton, FACHE, to its Board of Directors
The total number of Public Members on the ABMS Board of Directors raises to four

CHICAGO – Oct. 13, 2011 – The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the organization overseeing the certification of physician specialists in the United States, announced at its September 20 Board of Directors’ meeting the election of James G. Lifton, FACHE, as a Public Member to its Board of Directors.  The addition of Mr. Lifton increases the total number of Public Members serving on the ABMS Board of Directors to four.

“Throughout his long, impressive career, Jim has established a robust relationship with physicians and others in the health care profession.  His accounting and finance background along with his commitment to quality training and professional education will be an asset to the ABMS Board of Directors,” said John B. McCabe, MD, ABMS BOD Chair.

Mr. Lifton is the founder and principal of Lifton Associates, LLC, a Park Ridge, Illinois-based consulting firm that assists health care organizations in strategic and business planning, medical staff development and governance.  His clients include non-profit hospitals and health systems and government-sponsored health care providers.

In addition to his long record of service to the health care industry, Mr. Lifton is deeply involved in his community.  He is a Presbyterian Church Elder, high school soccer referee and former Chair of the Board of Fire and Police Commissioners in the City of Park Ridge.

 “Jim has personified public service consistently and has held leadership positions that have prepared him well for service to ABMS and the Board Enterprise,” said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, ABMS President and CEO.  “The election of Jim as a Public Member to the Board of Directors represents ABMS’ continued commitment to engage with the public more fully and strengthen its role as an agent of physician accountability.”

Mr. Lifton is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, where he has been recertified, and is a frequent author and lecturer.  He received his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago and his Master of Science degree from Wayne State University.

The increase in the number of Public Members on the ABMS Board of Directors is the direct result of the ABMS Enhanced Public Trust Initiative, a strategic effort from 2008-2011 to help ABMS and its Member Boards respond to increasing patient expectations and public demands for information and assurance about the quality of physician care.   

The ABMS Board of Directors consists of 32 voting directors, one representing each of the 24 Member Boards, four Public Members (which will be expanded to six over the next two years) and the ABMS officers (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary-Treasurer and President and CEO).  A complete listing of the ABMS Board of Directors 2011-2012 Members can be found by clicking here.

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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.