JAMA Articles Focusing on Medical Education Underscore Value of Board Certification by an ABMS Member Board

CHICAGO – Oct. 31, 2011 – Physicians who pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination on their first attempt are more likely to be Board Certified by a Member Board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) compared to those who fail the exam the first time, according to a study published in the Sept. 7, 2011, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).  In the same issue of that publication, the weekly “Patient Page” included a listing of the medical specialties represented by the 24 ABMS Member Boards, described the requirements necessary to become Board Certified by one or more Member Board and advised how to determine if a physician is Board Certified.  

The study, titled, “Factors Associated with American Board of Medical Specialties Member Board Certification among U.S. Medical School Graduates,” included 42,440 physicians who graduated between 1997-2000 and were followed through March 2009.
More than 87 percent of the physicians in this group were Board Certified.  The authors noted that Board Certification by an ABMS Member Board is an increasingly important credential for physicians engaged in clinical practice.

“These articles underscore the increasing importance that Board Certification plays in assessing the competency of physicians,” said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, ABMS President and CEO.  “Today’s medical school graduates who go on to become Board Certified by an ABMS Member Board(s) must also participate in the ABMS Maintenance of Certification® (ABMS MOC®) program, which requires a physician to participate in lifelong learning with assessment.”

The U.S. Medical Licensing Examination is a multi-part professional exam that
assesses a physician's ability to apply knowledge, concepts and principles, and to demonstrate fundamental patient-centered skills, that are important in health and disease and that constitute the basis of safe and effective patient care.  Physicians are required to pass this examination before being allowed to practice medicine in the United States.

To find out if a physician is Board Certified by an ABMS Member Board(s) and meeting the ABMS MOC program requirements established by his or her Member Board(s), visit www.CertificationMatters.org, a new website launched by ABMS to help the public manage its health care and learn about the qualifications of physicians, or call toll-free 1-866- ASK-ABMS (1-866-275-2267).

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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 certify over 750,000 physicians 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.