EVANSTON, Ill. - Dec. 4, 2006 - The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), in an effort to better educate the public, professional credentialers, physicians and its Member Boards about specialty medicine and board certification, has launched its completely redesigned Web site at www.abms.org.   

The ABMS Web site, attracting over a million visitor sessions annually, has been updated with a new visual identity and a new navigation map which includes a “who we help” area that has specific information for consumers, professional organizations, physicians and the 24 ABMS Member Boards. Visitors can still go to the site to check whether or not their physician is certified by an ABMS Member Board. They can also learn more about the significance of board certification, the process doctors undergo to become board certified and a new method of continuous professional development, called Maintenance of Certification, a program of continual learning and improvement.

“The strategy for the new Web site is to provide information about specialty medicine and board certification in ways that are meaningful to our multiple audiences,” explains Stephen H. Miller, MD, MPH, President of ABMS. “Since ABMS Member Boards certify more than 85% of practicing physicians in the United States, it was important that our visitors have a reliable and trusted place where their questions about specialty medicine and board certification can be answered.”

Among the site’s many new features are:

• links for healthcare consumers to various online educational resources including an interactive diagram about physician specialties;
• descriptions of ABMS’ tools and services that provide quality primary source information for professional credentialing organizations;
• explanations of the latest standard setting initiatives that ABMS is involved with to improve the quality of care; and
• a password protected area for the Member Boards so they can access shared resources.
  

“The primary goal of this redesign is to achieve broad recognition of the identity, purpose and value of board certification and ABMS as it relates to quality practice by certified specialists. In addition, we want to make the user’s experience at our Web site convenient by providing an invaluable service to our visitors,” said Lori Boukas, ABMS Director of Marketing and Communications. “It has enormous impact in setting the stage for our strategic communications by encouraging more professional collaborations and raising awareness about our products and services.”

About ABMS
The American Board of Medical Specialties is the preeminent 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. Member Boards provide physician certification information to the ABMS for its certification verification service programs. ABMS is recognized by the key healthcare credentialing accreditation entities as a primary equivalent source of board certification data for medical specialists. Visit www.abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.