Exceeding the Vision

A Look Ahead

During the past year our organization made necessary and meaningful adjustments to maintain our momentum. Looking ahead we are anticipating new opportunities that will strengthen the ABPS brand.

Continuing to build brand awareness of ABPS will be critical to our success in the future. Acknowledgement of our specialty boards by other influential organizations has created a platform to build on.

One of the primary goals of the organization is recognition of our Diplomate’s board certifications. Despite the current pandemic, the External Affairs team has successfully created new opportunities to communicate our messages.

I am looking forward to us making the point that ABPS acceptance by hospitals creates greater patient access to more qualified physicians at a time of shortages that has been amplified during this pandemic. Not only is a choice in board certification for physicians one of our messages, the certification priority of ABPS is ensuring patient access to quality physicians. While we have a talented staff to support our efforts, Diplomates have the direct contact and access needed to hospital leaders and other influential decision makers in the healthcare industry. Engagement of Diplomates will be critical to our future awareness and recognition.

Besides industry leaders, Diplomates also should make their colleagues aware of choice in board certification. This activity will be another building block in addition to our other forms of recruiting through event marketing, optimized website articles and specific fellowship programs.

I encourage and empower you to take pride in your certification and discuss it within your healthcare community. By fostering increased recognition for your certification, you are communicating that you have demonstrated your knowledge, experience and skills providing high quality patient care in your specialty.

Elizabeth Maxwell-Schmidt, MD, FAAEP, FACEP President-elect

Rising to the Challenge

New Options for Recertification Exam Delivery

ABPS Certification staff have had to rapidly adjust to a host of challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year, with some of these changes becoming permanent. Beginning with the May 2021 written exam window, ABPS diplomates may choose between taking a recertification examination from home via a remote live-proctored delivery system or at testing site selected from a network of testing sites.

Virtual Exam Development & Oral Exams

Due to COVID-19, many of our in-person activities, including exam development workshops and oral exam administrations, are now being held virtually and for the first time in ABPS history. ABPS diplomates who serve as our subject matter experts are an invaluable resource in these endeavors. Active diplomates who are interested in participating as oral examiners or in the development of the written exams in their specialty are encouraged to click here to contact ABPS Certification staff.

Rising to the Challenge

BCFMO Now Offers Non-Surgical Pathway

To better serve Family Physicians practicing Obstetrics in the United States, the Board of Certification in Family Medicine Obstetrics® (BCFMO) now offers a non-surgical option for certification. The new non-surgical path to Family Medicine Obstetrics certification requires a log of non-surgical deliveries and successful completion of the written certification exam. The surgical path to certification, which is now referred to as Family Medicine Obstetrics with Surgical Qualifications, requires an additional log of cesarean deliveries and successful completion of the written and an oral exam.

Dear XXX,

I am contacting you to request that you consider amending your bylaws to allow for a choice in physician board certification by accepting the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) certification within your organization. Founded in 1952, ABPS is a nationally recognized choice in physician board certification that include 12 Member Boards with Diplomates in 19 specialties.

Today, leading medical entities, stakeholders, and professional organizations have updated their bylaws, policies, and standards to include ABPS. Federal and State organizations that recognize ABPS certifications include, but are not limited to, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); the Veterans’ Health Administration and the United States Armed Forces under the GI Bill; along with state medical boards with specific advertising rules.

Furthermore, the U.S. Department of Labor redefined the definition of multispecialty physician board certification in their Occupational Handbook to specifically include ABPS alongside the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

Leading healthcare and credentialing organizations such as Greely, HCPro, and the National Association of Medical Staff Services (NAMSS), recognize ABPS as a choice in physician certification. In addition, HCPro’s Medical Staff Governing Documents – Bylaws, Policies, and Procedures and NAMSS’s Ideal Credentialing Standards Whitepaper and Managed Care Resource Toolkit have been revised to reflect this recognition.

Physicians should have the right to choose a board that can offer them the widest range of professional opportunities. The ABPS believes that choice fosters competition, and leads to more innovation and advancements, resulting in improved patient care.

In a recent opinion by the Department of Justice (DOJ), “Physicians, hospitals, healthcare consumers, insurers, and other can benefit from competition to provide cost-effective, highquality certification services.” The DOJ also encourages the adoption of policies that do not foreclose entry by bona fide certifying bodies that may serve as a competitive option to existing certifying bodies. ABPS provides that bona fide choice.

ABPS focuses on making sure its programs are developed and maintained based on what is best for patient care and the physician. Certification with ABPS is a rigorous process. In addition to

Click here to download the letter

Advocating for ABPS

The External Affairs team has outreached to over 500 health care organizations and hospital systems about getting current with the definition of board certification that includes ABPS with the call of action to update their bylaws and policies.

ABPS has an informational letter that explains how the medical industry has accepted the organization as a recognized choice in board certification. Please share this document with your decision-making leaders encouraging them to expand physician resources for their organization by updating their Medical Staff bylaws. For information or questions, please click here to contact Lauren Henrichsen.

Federal Activities

Even through the challenges of 2020 and the COVID-19 Pandemic, Jeff Morris JD and Monique Tapie, our External and Government Affairs consultant continued to advance our federal and government relations efforts, expanding our reach into new areas. In 2020, NIF funds were essential in advancing recognition before legislators and regulators. Your donations to NIF enabled Jeff and Monique to further build awareness of the impact of the monopoly in physician board certification. Their work resulted in coordinating directly with the White House to identify some of our top physicians for potential Presidential Appointments, along with direct conversations with Senior Counsel of HHS.

In advancement and support of their efforts, Jeff and Monique worked directly with one of the country’s top antitrust attorneys that resulted in the white paper titled “The American Board of Medical Specialties: Certification and the Need for Antitrust Enforcement. If you have not yet accessed the white paper please click here. This white paper, funded by the foundation, helped to advance and support their efforts before key legislators, congressional committees, regulators and influencers.

The monopoly and their key partners continued their discriminatory practices, even in the hardest hit cities combatting the pandemic. These actions drove Jeff and Monique to further their ongoing efforts to educate and build awareness of the ABPS and its physicians. This resulted in garnering the attention of key legislators, State Health Chairs, Attorneys General and the White House. They worked to develop media coverage which highlighted the wrongdoing of the ABMS and top hospitals following such dangerous policies that were denying patient access to care at the time they needed it most.

Expanding upon their existing efforts, they worked to further build ABPS coalitions with key partners that can greatly assist in advancing the organization.

Rising to the Challenge

State Legislative Actions

Lobbied 54 Bills

in 22 States

Injury claims dropped

During this year’s legislative session ABPS lobbied on 54 bills in 22 states. There were two bills that addressed advertising and our national lobbyist, Linda Murphy, successfully stopped both bills and prevented ABMS from being listed exclusively in law. ABPS was also able to successfully defeat the ABMS only Interstate Medical Licensure Compact bill in two states. Currently, most of the other bills are still in the beginning phases of the legislative process. Due to the COVID-19 shutdowns that began happening in March of 2020 the legislative process has limited access to legislators in all states. Even with limited access to legislators we have managed to stop 14 bills that listed ABMS without including ABPS. Many states are still in session and we will continue our work to include ABPS in law whenever possible.ABPS lobbied on 78 bills in 28 states

Linda Gray Murphy, successfully killed 45 bills Currently, she is working to amend 20 bills that are still active

10% for employers that particpate in a state safety grant program.

Florida Blue Now Recognizes ABPS Board Certifications

Florida Blue recently updated their system to include ABPS board certified physicians for credentialing. ABPS Boards being listed in the Florida Blue insurance platform is another recognition achievement that shows the further advancement of ABPS Member Boards.

New Achievement Awards

The AAPS Achievement Awards were developed to recognize members for their outstanding service, dedication, and contributions to AAPS and ABPS. There are three levels of Achievement Awards:

Achievement Award Senior Achievement Award Lifetime Achievement Award

New Database Implemented

The implementation of the new database software by Protech began in January 2020 and went live in September 2020. During which time, Protech worked with the staff to learn what AAPS/ ABPS needed and worked on configuring and customizing the software to meet those needs. Protech combines world-class Microsoft business applications and Diplomate/member-focused features using Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform.

With our new Protech member site, Diplomates, members, and applicants can: apply for certification and recertification, register for events, make secure payments through BluePay, track certifications and CME, applications, and more at their convenience with online and mobile access to their information 24/7. Also, our new member site features a searchable directory of AAPS members. By empowering our Diplomates, members, and applicants, we will enjoy measurable productivity increases and data accuracy improvements for years to come.

Rising to the Challenge

New ABPS Public Website Now Live

The new ABPS public website was designed to be mobile-friendly and easy to navigate for stakeholders in the physician board certification marketplace. This new website offers an opportunity for Diplomates to create awareness of ABPS among their colleagues and industry stakeholders. We encourage you to share the new website that includes information about our nationally recognized multi-specialty certifying body and its unique board certification options.

Advancing ABPS Awareness

Our other marketing communications program continue to increase awareness of ABPS board certification for physicians seeking a choice in certification options. One of these programs is content marketing featuring articles discussing the work and specialty specific subject matter of ABPS Diplomates. We are grateful for their participation in this program.

Other programs include messaging specialty specific residents and physicians on Doximity, targeted digital advertising, and a virtual presentation to a state medical staff professional conference. Our goal with these efforts is to build relationships with industry programs and potential applicants.