Who in his healthy mind would want to pay dearly and take a very tough exam for which nobody knows what the requirements are to pass (number or % of questions answered correctly) .As a rule now, the exams take place, then all the individual physician's results of the session get corrected and average is computed, to which they then apply a mysterious and never publicized pass mark and then send out the "Pass" and "Fail" letters. We suspect that the computer program is set to always "Fail" at least 33 % of the candidates to assure repeat cash flow thanks to failed candidates having to re-register for an upcoming session. The hospital's requirement of board certification puts undue pressure on specialist and experts of long and good standing and thus deprives the population of valuable medical knowledge and best treatment options.
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Blog | April 28, 2013 | Healthcare Careers, Performance, Training
The
Association of American Physicians & Surgeons (AAPS) filed suit
April 23, 2013, against the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
over their maintenance of certification program. The suit, filed in a
New Jersey federal court, alleges that the ABMS is restraining trade and
causing a reduction in patient access due to burdensome recertification
processes.
Jane Orient, MD, the AAPS' executive director, graciously agreed to discuss the issues with me.
Martin Merritt: I understand maintenance of certification (MOC) is one of the hottest topics in the field of medicine today?
Jane Orient: Yes. Many physicians are outraged, not only by the cost an expense which must be incurred to maintain certification, but also by the fear that MOC is being advanced as a requirement for hospital privileges, and perhaps even maintenance of licensure (MOL).
MM: The public might think the ABMS is a government entity?
Jane Orient, MD
JO: The ABMS is a not-for-profit corporation. According
to the lawsuit filed by AAPS, the ABMS seems to exist to enrich its own
executives, with little appreciable evidence that the MOC program has
an effect on the quality of care.
MM: How does the ABMS MOC program actually work?
JO: I can mostly speak about what the lawsuit contains. ABMS and 24 separate corporations, which make up the 24 recognized board-certified specialties have agreed to impose on physicians a recertification program called the ABMS Maintenance of Certification. At one time, a physician could voluntarily choose to become board certified, and upon completion of the process, he or she was board certified for life. Now, the ABMS has decided to force board certified physicians to purchase its products every 10 years. If a physician cannot afford the time or the expense of recertification, he or she may be designated as "not meeting" the requirements of the ABMS, which tends to imply that a physician is less than qualified to care for patients.
MM: What is the AAPS seeking in the suit?
JO: AAPS’ lawsuit, seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to enjoin ABMS’s continuing violations of antitrust law and misrepresentations about the medical skills of physicians who decline to purchase and spend time on its program. AAPS also seeks a refund of fees paid by its members to ABMS and its 24 other corporations as a result of ABMS’ conduct.
Again, the lawsuit itself is the best source for information about the relief requested, but in a nutshell, what we are worried about is the fact that perfectly capable physicians are being black-balled, or locked out of the ability to treat patients, because they do not have the time, or inclination to purchase a product from a private corporation, which has nothing to do with the physician’s ability to treat patients.
MM. You cite an example in the lawsuit, I believe.
JO: In a case cited in this lawsuit, a first-rate physician in New Jersey was excluded from the medical staff at a hospital in his state simply because he had not paid for and spent time on recertification with one of these private corporations. He runs a charity clinic that has logged more than 30,000 visits, but now none of those patients can see him at the local hospital because of the money-making scheme of recertification.
MM: I would like to thank Dr. Orient for speaking with us. You can follow this lawsuit and other issues of concern at the AAPS website.
Martin Merritt: I understand maintenance of certification (MOC) is one of the hottest topics in the field of medicine today?
Jane Orient: Yes. Many physicians are outraged, not only by the cost an expense which must be incurred to maintain certification, but also by the fear that MOC is being advanced as a requirement for hospital privileges, and perhaps even maintenance of licensure (MOL).
MM: The public might think the ABMS is a government entity?
Jane Orient, MD
JO: The ABMS is a not-for-profit corporation. According
to the lawsuit filed by AAPS, the ABMS seems to exist to enrich its own
executives, with little appreciable evidence that the MOC program has
an effect on the quality of care.MM: How does the ABMS MOC program actually work?
JO: I can mostly speak about what the lawsuit contains. ABMS and 24 separate corporations, which make up the 24 recognized board-certified specialties have agreed to impose on physicians a recertification program called the ABMS Maintenance of Certification. At one time, a physician could voluntarily choose to become board certified, and upon completion of the process, he or she was board certified for life. Now, the ABMS has decided to force board certified physicians to purchase its products every 10 years. If a physician cannot afford the time or the expense of recertification, he or she may be designated as "not meeting" the requirements of the ABMS, which tends to imply that a physician is less than qualified to care for patients.
MM: What is the AAPS seeking in the suit?
JO: AAPS’ lawsuit, seeks declaratory and injunctive relief to enjoin ABMS’s continuing violations of antitrust law and misrepresentations about the medical skills of physicians who decline to purchase and spend time on its program. AAPS also seeks a refund of fees paid by its members to ABMS and its 24 other corporations as a result of ABMS’ conduct.
Again, the lawsuit itself is the best source for information about the relief requested, but in a nutshell, what we are worried about is the fact that perfectly capable physicians are being black-balled, or locked out of the ability to treat patients, because they do not have the time, or inclination to purchase a product from a private corporation, which has nothing to do with the physician’s ability to treat patients.
MM. You cite an example in the lawsuit, I believe.
JO: In a case cited in this lawsuit, a first-rate physician in New Jersey was excluded from the medical staff at a hospital in his state simply because he had not paid for and spent time on recertification with one of these private corporations. He runs a charity clinic that has logged more than 30,000 visits, but now none of those patients can see him at the local hospital because of the money-making scheme of recertification.
MM: I would like to thank Dr. Orient for speaking with us. You can follow this lawsuit and other issues of concern at the AAPS website.
25-residue
epitope (segment 1) from MIG6 binds to the distal surface of the C lobe
of the kinase domain. Biochemical and cell-based analyses confirm that
this interaction contributes to EGFR inhibition by blocking the
formation of the activating dimer interface.(ZANG ET AL!)