Seek Out Credentials Before Choosing a Physician - Is Your Cardiologist Board Certified...

Seek Out Credentials Before Choosing a Physician - Is Your Cardiologist Board
Certified in Cardiovascular Disease?
ABMS Advises Patients on How to Select a Doctor

CHICAGO, July 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recent news reports have
highlighted the importance of physician credentials and ensuring that
physicians meet high standards in their chosen area of practice, according to
the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), which coordinates and
assists its 24 Member Boards in their efforts to develop and implement
educational and professional standards for the evaluation and certification of
physician specialists. Certification by an ABMS Member Board is considered
the gold standard in physician certification in the health care industry.

ABMS recommends that consumers who are searching for a doctor select a board
certified physician and confirm that he or she is certified by the appropriate
ABMS specialty board - one that encompasses the training and evaluation for
the specific treatment or procedure the patient needs.

"Patients should find out if their physician is board certified and then ask
'By what board and in what specialty,'" said Kevin B. Weiss, MD, president and
CEO of ABMS. "For example, someone with heart disease who wants to be
evaluated or treated by a cardiac specialist should first determine if the
doctor is certified by an ABMS Member Board that certifies specialists in
cardiovascular disease," Dr. Weiss explained.

Certification by one of the 24 Member Boards is a voluntary process above and
beyond what is required to practice medicine, but it is looked to by
hospitals, insurance companies and increasingly by patients as essential
documentation of a doctor's training, competence and commitment to lifelong
learning in a specific specialty. Board certification indicates that the
doctor has:
-- Earned a medical degree (MD, DO or other approved credential approved
by
the Member Board)
-- Completed the accredited education and training
-- Fulfilled residency requirements
-- Been licensed to practice medicine in at least one U.S. state,
territory
or Canada
-- Passed rigorous examination in their specialty or subspecialty, and

-- Met other ABMS Board-specified qualifications

An internal medicine specialist who wishes to be certified in the subspecialty
of cardiovascular disease (which includes diseases of the heart and blood
vessels) must have:
-- Satisfied all of the requirements listed above to become certified in
internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
-- Satisfactorily completed additional accredited training in a graduate
medical education fellowship program in cardiovascular disease
-- Demonstrated clinical competence in patient care
-- Met the licensure and procedural requirements

-- Passed the Certification (subspecialty) Exam in Cardiovascular Disease

"Any doctor who has graduated from medical school, fulfilled residency
requirements, and has been licensed by the state in which he or she practices,
can set up an office and practice medicine, even in a specialty for which he
or she has not trained," Dr. Weiss said. "An ABMS Member Board certified
doctor has participated in a voluntary training and assessment process that
demonstrates knowledge and skill in their chosen specialty/subspecialty beyond
the basic licensing requirements."

To keep pace with continuous advances in the field of medicine, ABMS and its
Member Boards have evolved their recertification programs to one of continuous
professional development, called ABMS Maintenance of Certification(R) (ABMS
MOC(R)). ABMS MOC assures that the participating physician is committed to
lifelong learning and on-going self-assessment along six areas of competency.
Measurement of these competencies happens in numerous ways, some of which vary
according to the specialty. This is carried out by all Member Boards using a
four-part process that is designed to keep certification continuous.

Consumers also should be aware that there are organizations that provide
certification through a process far less rigorous than ABMS Member Board
certification; in some cases by taking a weekend course or reading a book and
passing a one-time exam.

Patients seeking information on the status of a physician's certification in a
specific specialty can find it - free of charge - by logging onto at
www.ABMS.org or by calling 1-866-ASK-ABMS.

About ABMS
Now in its 75th year, American Board of Medical Specialties is 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 healthcare credentialing accreditation entities as a
primary equivalent source of board certification data for medical specialists.
Patients can visit www.abms.org or call toll-free 1-866-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.

The 24 Member Boards that make up the ABMS Board Enterprise, cover over 145
medical specialties and subspecialties, and include: American Board of Allergy
and Immunology, American Board of Anesthesiology, American Board of Colon and
Rectal Surgery, American Board of Dermatology, American Board of Emergency
Medicine, American Board of Family Medicine, American Board of Internal
Medicine, American Board of Medical Genetics, American Board of Neurological
Surgery, American Board of Nuclear Medicine, American Board of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, American Board of Ophthalmology, American Board of Orthopaedic
Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology, American Board of Pathology,
American Board of Pediatrics, American Board of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation, American Board of Plastic Surgery, American Board of
Preventive Medicine, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, American
Board of Radiology, American Board of Surgery, American Board of Thoracic
Surgery, and American Board of Urology.

SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)

Beth Schlesinger, +1-312-558-1770 x.150, bschlesinger@pcipr.com, or Kara
Carmichael, +1-312-558-1770 x.111, kcarmichael@pcipr.com, both for PCI, for
American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)