Bylaws becoming more inclusive to more specialty boards

Most people don’t realize the true definition of board certification. “It doesn’t mean only being certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS),” says Jeff Morris, JD, executive director of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS).

In fact, a few years ago, the United States Department of Labor updated its Occupational Outlook Handbook to include ABPS as an option for board certification for physicians. Previously, the Handbook only listed the ABMS and the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) as certifying bodies.

There has been more acceptance of ABPS in the past few years. One reason, says Morris, is that more of the country’s leadership is seeking ABPS’s guidance on physician care issues. Another reason is that more medical staff services departments are reaching out to ABPS because their physicians are looking for choices
in certification/recertification.

In years past, medical staffs might grant exceptions to physicians who didn’t meet the board certification requirements in the organization’s bylaws. Morris says because of primary source verification requirements, negligent credentialing cases, and electronic credentialing programs, exceptions rarely occur now. As a result, hospitals are looking to make changes to their bylaws to include ABPS.

“In seeking qualified physicians, hospitals should not discriminate against physicians who chose to be certified by ABPS instead of the more well-known ABMS boards,” says Morris.

Morris says the easiest way to get medical staffs to change their bylaws is to point out that the definition from the U.S. Department of Labor of board certification has changed to include ABPS.

“What we are asking bylaws to do is get current with the current standard,” says Morris.

He compares it to the issue of DOs in the 70s—most bylaws wouldn’t accept DOs as physicians. As the definition changed, medical staff bylaws changed, and the stigma changed.

“Hospitals weren’t being asked to review whether DOs were as good as MDs, it was simply about having the bylaws incorporate the current definition of what a physician was,” says Morris.

Source: News and Analysis