The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) is committed to providing board re-certification for both MDs and DOs that ensures physician compliance with national standards and promotes lifelong learning.
Apply/Recertify for NBPAS Board Certification
Application takes less than 15 minutes to complete! Before applying, make sure you meet these requirements:
- Previous initial certification by an ABMS or AOA member board
- Current, unrestricted medical license and NPI number
- At least 50-100 hours of ACCME-accredited CME (depending on status of prior board certification) completed within the past 24 months (physicians-in-training are exempt)
- Active hospital or outpatient facility privileges are required for selected specialties
- Clinical privileges have not been permanently revoked
Learn more about NBPAS certification requirements here.
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Current Diplomates
132
Accepting Hospitals
431
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is NBPAS “accepted” or “recognized” by hospitals, payers (i.e. insurance companies), and state medical boards?
This is the most common question we receive. It is important to understand what ”accepted” or “recognized” means with respect to these types of organizations.
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If I am currently board certified but not due for re-certification for several years, should I still certify with NBPAS?
YES! While you could wait, the more physicians NBPAS certifies, the stronger and more influential it will be. This is a grass roots organization. We need your support.
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What specialties are offered?
We are currently accepting applications for all ABMS and AOA specialties. Check out our full list of specialties by clicking here.
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When applying for certification for multiple specialties, do I need all 50 hours in every specialty?
No, a total of 50 CME hours in any of the specialties applied for is sufficient.
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If I am grandfathered in a specialty (i.e. my ABMS member certification never expires) do I need to have 50 or 100 hours of CME?
If you are grandfathered in a specialty, your certification has not, by definition, expired and you only need to submit at least 50 hours (not 100 hours) of CMEs completed in the past 24 months.
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Stay informed with recent news, updates, articles, and more.
Healthcare Costs & Patient Access to Care Threatened by Physician Certification Monopoly
“The study titled, The American Board of Medical Specialties: Certification and the Need for Antitrust Enforcement, conducted over 8 months, supported by over 85 documents and numerous references, demonstrates the negative impact the monopoly of the ABMS has had on the U.S. healthcare system.” READ ARTICLE – https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2020/05/05/2027672/0/en/Healthcare-Costs-Patient-Access-to-Care-Threatened-by-Physician-Certification-Monopoly.html
READ MORE ›Fierce Healthcare: More PPE? Better telemedicine coverage? New group aims to organize physicians around top concerns
“A group of physician leaders around the country launched a new advocacy group Tuesday with the aim to organize doctors around their top concerns. With mounting concerns about safety and the financial security of physicians during COVID-19, organizers say the new group, called United Physicians, will take advantage of virtual platforms to pull together a large number around the issues they most care about. They called it a “new kind of democratic physician association” that will better represent the interests of physicians compared to traditional medical societies.” READ ARTICLE: https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/hospitals-health-systems/more-ppe-better-testing-new-group-aims-organize-physicians-around-top
READ MORE ›Medscape: New Advocacy Group Aims to Give ‘Every Physician’ a Voice
“A new advocacy organization is launching today to give “every physician” a voice in decisions that affect their professional lives. But this group doesn’t intend to use the top-down approach to decision making seen in many medical societies. Paul Teirstein, MD, chief of cardiology for Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, and founder of the new organization United Physicians, told Medscape Medical News it is a nonprofit group that will operate through online participation. He said the intention is to use online voting and discussions among physicians across specialties to advocate for more and better legislation on pressing issues for their profession and, as noted on the group’s website, “protect the physician-patient relationship.” READ MORE HERE: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/929554#vp_1
READ MORE ›Board Certification Brouhaha: Rads Cry Foul Over ABR’s Ways and Means
“At the American College of Radiology’s 2019 meeting last May, speaker after speaker stepped up to the open microphone in the ballroom of a Washington, D.C., hotel to vent their displeasure with the American Board of Radiology (ABR) and its maintenance of certification (MOC) program.” “The process isn’t inexpensive for participants. At the per-radiologist level, the single sorest point of contention on costs may be the fees assessed residents and fellows—many of whom are already beset by student debt and low salaries.” “And all of that stands atop radiologists’ increasing awareness of ABR’s considerable wealth. The revenues ABR generates through exam fees helped the organization grow its end-of-year total board assets to $51.1 million, according to the board’s IRS Form 990 for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. That was up from $49.5 million in 2016 and $45.7 million in 2015.” Read full article here: https://www.radiologybusiness.com/topics/practice-management/board-certification-brouhaha-rads-cry-foul-over-abrs-ways-and-means…
READ MORE ›Time for “UNITED PHYSICIANS”–One Voice Advocating for All Physicians
View this email in your browser Dear Colleagues, Now, more than ever, we need an organization that fights for goals common to all physicians. The primary mission of UNITED PHYSICIANS is to advance the interests of physicians and patients and protect the physician-patient relationship. UNITED PHYSICIANS (unitedphysicians.org) is a novel physician association that uses today’s technology to create “participatory” instead of “representative” governance. All meetings are held openly, on the internet. Every member can vote on every issue. Advocacy projects must be supported by at least a two third majority vote to move forward. There are no delegates, no representatives, and no “board.” CLICK TO JOIN No start up dues, just a simple, 30 second application. All we need is your name, email, and either now or later, your National Physician Identification number (NPI) and/or state medical license number (information will not be shared). UNITED PHYSICIANS advocates as a…
READ MORE ›ABIM Increases Flexibility to Maintain Certification
From an email sent to American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) board certified physicians: From: ABIM <reply@mail.abim.org> Sent: Monday, April 13, 2020 12:27 PM To: Teirstein, Paul S. MD Subject: ABIM Increases Flexibility to Maintain Certification ABIM Increases Flexibility to Maintain Certification Dear Dr. Teirstein, Expert internists and subspecialists are on the front line of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognizing the unprecedented demands being placed on all of our board certified physicians, ABIM wants to be sure you are able to maintain your certification despite the stresses you are facing. That’s why today I am sharing an important update with you: No one will lose certification if they aren’t able to complete a requirement this year. Any physician who is currently certified and has a Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirement due in 2020—including an assessment, point requirement or attestation—will now have…
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Spring Newsletter
View this email in your browser Quarterly Newsletter NBPAS Newsletter – Spring 2020 Dear Colleagues, In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, NBPAS will be providing a 6-month extension to certifications expiring between now and August 31st, 2020. We know many conferences and meetings have been cancelled around the country and we hope that this will give you the time needed to complete your ACCME accredited CMEs. When you complete your renewal, your certification will be backdated showing no lapse in board certification. NBPAS is here to support you as we tackle this growing health crisis. If you need additional assistance with your recertification, please contact us at info@nbpas.org. As we stand together to fight MOC, we will do the same to fight COVID-19! NBPAS MOC Debate Update At the February 2020 California Radiology Society meeting in Los Angeles, Dr. Paul Teirstein discussed the current status of MOC alongside…
READ MORE ›Online CME Course References
Since in-person CME conferences have been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions, NBPAS wanted to provide you a list of some online CME resources you can utilize for your ACCME accredited CMEs. Reminder: NBPAS will be offering a 6 month grace period to submit CMEs. Please be sure to reference NBPAS criteria before selecting your CME courses: Curbside – Physician to physician discussions, earn CME for your participation: https://questions.curbside.org/index.html UpToDate – https://www.uptodate.com/home MedPage Today – https://www.medpagetoday.org/cme MedScape – https://www.medscape.org/ AudioDigest – https://www.audio-digest.org/ MayoClinic – https://ce.mayo.edu/online-education/group/online-cme-courses To learn more about offered courses, please review the organizations websites.
READ MORE ›In response to COVID-19, NBPAS extends a 6 month grace period to submit CMEs
Dear NBPAS Colleagues, In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, NBPAS will be providing a 6-month extension to certifications expiring between now and August 31st, 2020. We know many conferences and meetings have been cancelled around the country and we hope that this will give you the time needed to complete your ACCME accredited CMEs. When you complete your renewal, your certification will be backdated showing no lapse in board certification. NBPAS is here to support you as we tackle this growing health crisis. If you need additional assistance with your recertification, please contact us at info@nbpas.org. As we stand together to fight MOC, we will do the same to fight COVID-19! Be safe and stay healthy, Paul Teirstein, MD, DNBPAS
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