ABMS Board Certification Data a Proven Tool in Identifying the Most Qualified Physician Specialists to Assist in an Emergency
Many states across the country have built the ABMS data into their ESAR-VHPs in order to be prepared for a disaster

Chicago, Ill. – Mar. 18, 2011 – Over the years, Board Certification data provided by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has played a crucial role in verifying those physicians who are Board Certified by an ABMS Member Board, and the information has been accessed by state and federal officials in emergency situations so victims can receive immediate quality care from the most qualified specialists.  Currently, 32 states/jurisdictions rely on ABMS Board Certification data and have incorporated it into their Emergency System for Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals (ESAR-VHP), a federal program created to support states and territories in establishing standardized volunteer registration programs for disasters and public health and medical emergencies, so that they can be prepared to direct victims to medical help at a moment’s notice.  The program, administered on the state level, verifies the identification and credentials of health professionals so they can respond more quickly when a disaster strikes.  By registering through ESAR-VHP, volunteers' identities, licenses, credentials, accreditations and hospital privileges are all verified in advance, which saves valuable time in emergencies.

“Board Certification goes above and beyond basic medical licensure, and shows that a physician meets nationally recognized standards for education, knowledge, experience and skills to provide high quality care in a specific medical specialty, which can be particularly useful during emergencies when every second is critical,” said Kevin B. Weiss, ABMS President and CEO.  “Providing information to the public that assures them of a physician’s qualifications was one of the original purposes of ABMS, and remains equally as important today.”

ABMS Board Certification data has on several occasions proved its usefulness in helping the public gain access to highly qualified physicians in the midst of some of our country’s most challenging moments.  In 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services electronically accessed ABMS Board Certification data for the emergency verification of volunteers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  ABMS Board Certification data has also been used to assist in the aftermath of the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse and the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, and was even kept on hand as a precautionary measure during the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.  In addition to the effectiveness it has served in these capacities, ABMS Board Certification data can also be used to assist victims of other types of disasters such as tornadoes, oil spills, wildfires or acts of terrorism, and continues to expand to other organizations that need to verify credentials after a disaster or tragedy.

Besides the value it provides in emergencies, ABMS Board Certification data has been referenced by entities such as health care organizations, insurance companies, law firms, recruiters and research organizations.  Initially offered in a print directory, information on the 750,000-plus physicians who are Board Certified by an ABMS Member Board today is contained in a centralized database maintained by ABMS that is circulated through its licensees for professional use and can be accessed with a simple click of a mouse, a feature that can prove to be a life-saver in the event of an emergency.

“As specialty medicine expanded and the number of certifying boards grew, information on Board Certification quickly became an important part of a physician’s profile,” said Dr. Weiss.  “While a physician does not need to be Board Certified in order to practice medicine, Board Certification granted by an ABMS Member Board is a nationally recognized credential held in high regard by the health care industry and relied upon by health plans, payers and policy makers as a benchmark for assessing a doctor’s qualifications.  Board Certification information provided by ABMS is considered a ‘gold standard’ because of its credibility and quality.”

By 2005, many medium to larger organizations that credential and privilege physicians were asking for products and services to streamline the credentials verification and application management process, reduce costs and create efficient processes.  In response, ABMS launched ABMS Direct Connect Select™, a new eXtensible Mark-up Language (XML) Web service that allows credentialing professionals and emergency certification personnel to quickly and efficiently conduct electronic Primary Source Verification of physician specialty certification in the ABMS database through authorized credentialing systems.

Quick, efficient access to primary source physician certification information is important to emergency response teams who must verify the credentials of the many physicians who volunteer after a natural disaster or other major event that impacts the public’s health.  The initial roll-out of the ABMS Direct Connect Select™ service, which was launched one month before the first of the Gulf Coast hurricanes, was part of a state-based initiative to develop an emergency credentialing system.

“The fact that ABMS Board Certification data is looked up to by government officials at the state and federal levels is a testament to its reliability and the value it serves,” said Dr. Weiss.  “ABMS remains committed in its efforts to help the public find access to good, quality doctors who are highly effective in treating their health care needs.”

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.