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.
8,900
Current Diplomates
137
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.
MedPage Today: Osteopathic Docs Sue ABIM Over Residency Director Certification Requirement
“According to the policy, which was announced in 2017 and is scheduled to take effect in 2022, ‘Program directors who are certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine (AOBIM) must either become certified by the ABIM or lose the ability to qualify their residents for ABIM certification,’ Josh Prober, JD, AOA’s general counsel and senior vice president, said in a statement. ‘As a result of this policy, internal medicine program directors are being pressured by their hospitals to become ABIM certified or lose their jobs.’” Read more here – https://www.medpagetoday.com/publichealthpolicy/medicaleducation/90640?vpass=1
READ MORE ›Press Release: NBPAS to Begin Re-Certification of UCNS Diplomates
National Board of Physicians and Surgeons to Begin Re-Certification of UCNS Diplomates La Jolla, CA. The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS.org) is pleased to announce that the Board of Directors (non-salaried volunteers) has voted in favor of re-certifying physicians who have received initial board certification from the United Council of Neurologic Subspecialties (UCNS) effective November 1, 2020. This includes Diplomates who have received initial certification in the following neurological sub-specialties: Autonomic Disorders, Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry, Clinical Neuromuscular Pathology, Geriatric Neurology, Headache Medicine, Neurocritical Care, Neuroimaging, and Neuro-oncology. “NBPAS believes in the value of an initial certification examination after completing residency/fellowship, and is committed to providing certification that ensures physician compliance with national standards and promotes lifelong learning,” said Cardiologist and NBPAS President Paul Teirstein, MD, DNBPAS, FACC. “At a time when we are trying to grow subspecialties like Headache Medicine, it is fantastic…
READ MORE ›Thought the Big Tech Cartel Was Bad? Check Out This Physician Certification Giant
“While the normal recertification process is on an 8-10-year cycle, there are some requirements for physicians to pay annual “maintenance of certification” (MOC) fees each year. An MOC that has some experts placing their revenue at over one billion dollars – all for a ‘non-profit’ entity. ” READ ARTICLE: https://cnsnews.com/commentary/jake-novak/thought-big-tech-cartel-was-bad-check-out-physician-certification-giant
READ MORE ›Mega Hospitals Are Telling Our Best Doctors To Take A Hike, Meet One Of Them
“After decades of distinguished service to his country, experience handling medical needs in several natural disasters, leading many federal medical teams, serving at United Nations summits, and treating hundreds of patients who have relied on him for years, a dedicated rural physician in Tennessee is about to lose his job. The reason? According to his new employer, he doesn’t have the “right” kind of board certification. …” READ MORE HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mega-hospitals-telling-our-best-doctors-take-hike-meet-jake-novak
READ MORE ›“How MOC is contributing to the demise of physicians”
Blog post written by Torie S. Sepah, MD, board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. READ HERE: https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/06/how-moc-is-contributing-to-the-demise-of-physicians.html
READ 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…
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