American Board of Internal Medicine
Encyclopedia
The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is a non-profit, independent physician
evaluation organization committed to continuously improving the profession for the public good by certifying physician
s who practice internal medicine
and its sub-specialties. It is not a membership society, educational institution or liscensing body but an organization that assess the clinical judgement, skills and attitudes essiential for the delivery of quality patient care. More than 200,000 physicians are ABIM Board certified – about one out of every four physicians practicing in the United States. Christine K. Cassel, MD is ABIM's current President and CEO.
was established in 1936 by the American Medical Association
and the American College of Physicians
to be an independent evaluator of physicians. Since that time, ABIM has worked to ensure a high level of competence in the American health system by certifying physicians who practice internal medicine
in one or more of its 19 subspecialties.
Physicians may become board certified when they have successfully completed residency
or fellowship
training and have passed a secure examination. Unlike licensure, board certification is not a requirement to practice medicine. However, board certification is widely accepted as a marker of excellence. Most hospitals require internists to be board certified in order to have admitting privileges, and many health plans require certification for contracting or eligibility for select networks.
A growing body of research suggests that physicians who are board certified deliver higher quality of care than their non-certified colleagues and that board certification is correlated with:
Fewer than 30 percent of physicians examine their own performance data, and physicians' ability to independently self-assess and self-evaluate is poor. Physicians value a framework that provides them with both guidance and trusted data to conduct self-evaluations so they can see what changes they need to make to improve the quality of care they deliver, and MOC provides such a framework. Additionally, board certification is an important factor when patients choose a physician and a majority of patients expect their physicians to participate in Maintenance of Certification.
There are four elements to ABIM's Maintenance of Certification program:
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
evaluation organization committed to continuously improving the profession for the public good by certifying physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
s who practice internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
and its sub-specialties. It is not a membership society, educational institution or liscensing body but an organization that assess the clinical judgement, skills and attitudes essiential for the delivery of quality patient care. More than 200,000 physicians are ABIM Board certified – about one out of every four physicians practicing in the United States. Christine K. Cassel, MD is ABIM's current President and CEO.
History
ABIM, the largest of 24 member certifying boards of the American Board of Medical SpecialtiesAmerican Board of Medical Specialties
The American Board of Medical Specialties is a non-profit physician-led umbrella organization for 24 of the 26 approved medical specialty boards in the United States...
was established in 1936 by the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
and the American College of Physicians
American College of Physicians
The American College of Physicians is a national organization of doctors of internal medicine —physicians who specialize in the prevention, detection, and treatment of illnesses in adults. With 130,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty organization and second-largest physician group in...
to be an independent evaluator of physicians. Since that time, ABIM has worked to ensure a high level of competence in the American health system by certifying physicians who practice internal medicine
Internal medicine
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They are especially skilled in the management of patients who have undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes...
in one or more of its 19 subspecialties.
- Adolescent Medicine
- Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant CardiologyCardiologyCardiology is a medical specialty dealing with disorders of the heart . The field includes diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular heart disease and electrophysiology...
- Cardiovascular DiseaseCardiovascular diseaseHeart disease or cardiovascular disease are the class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels . While the term technically refers to any disease that affects the cardiovascular system , it is usually used to refer to those related to atherosclerosis...
- Clinical Cardiac ElectrophysiologyElectrophysiologyElectrophysiology is the study of the electrical properties of biological cells and tissues. It involves measurements of voltage change or electric current on a wide variety of scales from single ion channel proteins to whole organs like the heart...
- Critical Care Medicine
- EndocrinologyEndocrinologyEndocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...
, Diabetes & Metabolism - GastroenterologyGastroenterologyGastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
- Geriatric MedicineGeriatricsGeriatrics is a sub-specialty of internal medicine and family medicine that focuses on health care of elderly people. It aims to promote health by preventing and treating diseases and disabilities in older adults. There is no set age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician, or...
- HematologyHematologyHematology, also spelled haematology , is the branch of biology physiology, internal medicine, pathology, clinical laboratory work, and pediatrics that is concerned with the study of blood, the blood-forming organs, and blood diseases...
- HospiceHospiceHospice is a type of care and a philosophy of care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms.In the United States and Canada:*Gentiva Health Services, national provider of hospice and home health services...
& Palliative Care - Hospital MedicineHospital medicineHospital medicine in the United States is the discipline concerned with the medical care of acutely ill hospitalized patients. Physicians whose primary professional focus is hospital medicine are called hospitalists; this type of medical practice has extended beyond the US into Canada...
- Infectious Disease
- Interventional CardiologyInterventional cardiologyInterventional cardiology is a branch of cardiology that deals specifically with the catheter based treatment of structural heart diseases. Andreas Gruentzig is considered the father of interventional cardiology after the development of angioplasty by interventional radiologist, Dr. Charles...
- Medical OncologyOncologyOncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
- NephrologyNephrologyNephrology is a branch of internal medicine and pediatrics dealing with the study of the function and diseases of the kidney.-Scope of the specialty:...
- Pulmonary DiseasePulmonologyIn medicine, pulmonology is the specialty that deals with diseases of the respiratory tract and respiratory disease. It is called chest medicine and respiratory medicine in some countries and areas...
- RheumatologyRheumatologyRheumatology is a sub-specialty in internal medicine and pediatrics, devoted to diagnosis and therapy of rheumatic diseases. Clinicians who specialize in rheumatology are called rheumatologists...
- Sleep Medicine
- Transplant HepatologyHepatologyHepatology is the branch of medicine that incorporates the study of liver, gallbladder, biliary tree, and pancreas as well as management of their disorders. Etymologically the word Hepatology is formed of ancient Greek hepar or hepato- meaning ' liver' and suffix -logia meaning 'word' or 'speech'...
Certification
ABIM Board Certification demonstrates that physicians have met rigorous standards through intensive study, self-assessment and evaluation. Additionally, certification encompasses the six general competencies established by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)and sets the stage for continual professional development through values centered on lifelong learning. Following regulations established by the ABMS, in order to be certified, a physician must:- Complete the requisite predoctoroal medical education
- Meet the training requirements
- Meet the licensure requirements and procedural requirements
- Pass a secure board certification examnination
Physicians may become board certified when they have successfully completed residency
Residency (medicine)
Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a medical degree , Podiatric degree , Dental Degree and who practices...
or fellowship
Fellowship (medicine)
A fellowship is the period of medical training in the United States and Canada that a physician may undertake after completing a specialty training program . During this time , the physician is known as a fellow...
training and have passed a secure examination. Unlike licensure, board certification is not a requirement to practice medicine. However, board certification is widely accepted as a marker of excellence. Most hospitals require internists to be board certified in order to have admitting privileges, and many health plans require certification for contracting or eligibility for select networks.
A growing body of research suggests that physicians who are board certified deliver higher quality of care than their non-certified colleagues and that board certification is correlated with:
- Better outcomes and more reliable care
- Lower mortality rates
- Higher rates of preventive services
Maintenance of Certification (MOC)
Research shows that in general, over time, knowledge deteriorates and practice habits and patterns fail to change in response to medical advances. Maintenance of Certification (recertification) promotes lifelong learning and enhancement of the clinical judgement and skills essential for high quality patient care. Every 10 years, internists and subspecialists certified in or after 1990 renew their certifications through ABIM's Maintenance of Certification program.Fewer than 30 percent of physicians examine their own performance data, and physicians' ability to independently self-assess and self-evaluate is poor. Physicians value a framework that provides them with both guidance and trusted data to conduct self-evaluations so they can see what changes they need to make to improve the quality of care they deliver, and MOC provides such a framework. Additionally, board certification is an important factor when patients choose a physician and a majority of patients expect their physicians to participate in Maintenance of Certification.
There are four elements to ABIM's Maintenance of Certification program:
- Verification of Credentials: Physicians must have a valid, unrestricted license to practice medicine. An action against a license compromises the most basic professional credential.
- Self-Evaluation of Medical Knowledge: Physicians use open-book, Web-based modules developed by ABIM or others to self-assess their own clinical area. These stimulate learning but also require that learning be documented. Medical knowledge and the technology essential to care are evolving at an incredible rate, and these modules provide physicians another way to keep current.
- Self-Evaluation of Practice Performance: ABIM requires that physicians engage in a quality improvement activity. A variety of quality improvement pathways are available, including ABIM PIMs Practice Improvement Modules and Approved Quality Improvement (AQI) programs. These are lso options available for those with access to quality data from external sources, for those who practice in academic settings and those who are clinically inactive.
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- Physicians use PIMs and AQI programs to assess their performance in a clinical area relevant to their practice, compare their performance to clinical guidelines, develop a plan to improve important aspects of their practice, and assess the impact of that improvement plan. Self-assessment of performance in practice helps physicians see that the quality of care they provide is not always what they expected, and establishes measurement and improvement as valuable parts of practice (rather than externally imposed requirements).
- Secure Examination: Physicians are required to pass a closed-book, proctored, computer-based exam. The exam includes questions that are pre-tested for relevance, and create a simulated environment in which critical aspects of clinical knowledge and judgment can be evaluated. It is not just what physicians know—but how they use what they know to diagnose and treat illness effectively and efficiently—that matters.