The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has opened an 80-day “Draft Standards for Continuing Certification – Call for Comments” to obtain input and feedback from all stakeholders who possess, use, or rely upon the board certification credential as an indicator of a diplomate’s professionalism and proficiency in specialty knowledge and skills. The “Call for Comments” will be open from Tuesday, April 20, 2021 through Thursday, July 8, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. CST. Feedback received will guide and inform the development of the final Draft Standards for Continuing Certification (“Draft Standards”), which will be considered by the ABMS Board of Directors in October 2021.
ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and assessment programs used in the certification of diplomate specialists. The new Draft Standards reflect foundational changes to the manner in which ABMS and its Member Boards deliver on their mission, bringing value to both the profession and the public at large. They were developed after a year of deliberation with key stakeholders in response to the recommendations of the Continuing Board Certification: Vision for the Future Commission as well as of the wider stakeholder community.
The Draft Standards are structured to support and provide diplomates with the tools they need to stay current in medical knowledge; prepare them to address emerging medical and public health issues; and help them identify and address opportunities for practice improvement within the systems in which they work, all in a manner that enhances relevance and reduces burden. The Draft Standards also address the needs of patients, families, and communities by assuring that board certified diplomates maintain the knowledge and skills necessary to deliver the quality specialty care upon which they rely.
ABMS has engaged an external party to ensure that the “Call for Comments” review process is unbiased, objective, and thoughtful. The “Call for Comments” process is part of an ongoing and deliberate dialogue that encourages continued engagement and collaboration throughout the ABMS community. All comments will be reviewed and considered to ensure the final draft of the Standards presented to the ABMS Board of Directors offers a balanced, consistent and understandable set of criteria with specialty-specific variances where appropriate.
To review and comment on the Draft Standards, visit the Draft Standards for Continuing Certification section on the ABMS Website by 11:59 p.m. CST on Thursday, July 8, 2021. Please feel free to share the “Draft Standards for Continuing Certification – Call for Comments”with your colleagues and others who may have an interest in them and encourage them to share their feedback to ensure that all stakeholder perspectives are considered in the finalization of the standards that will guide the specialty care practice of the future.
