The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) is committed to providing certification 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:

  1. Previous initial certification by an ABMS or AOA member board
  2. Current, unrestricted medical license and NPI number
  3. 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)
  4. Active hospital or outpatient facility privileges are required for selected specialties
  5. Clinical privileges have not been permanently revoked

Learn more about NBPAS certification requirements here.

8,000

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.

Tennessee physician takes second crack at suing American Board of Radiology over ‘worthless’ certification requirements

“Siva and his attorneys first filed suit against the ABR a year ago in February 2019, seeking class action for their complaint to loop in other affected radiologists. However, an Illinois judge dismissed the claim in November, unconvinced that the group used anti-competitive practices to promote its certification programs. At the time, Judge Jorge Alonso ruled that ABR sells just one product: certification of radiologists.   So, what’s different this time around? Siva and his lawyers are now labeling ABR’s maintenance of certification offering as a continuing medical education-type product. They note that other CME vendors do not sell initial certification. The suit attempts to establish that the first certification and MOC are separate products, and that the American Board of Radiology is violating the law by tying the two together.”   READ MORE: https://www.radiologybusiness.com/topics/healthcare-economics/american-board-radiology-lawsuit-cpd?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=hi_news

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Virginia Diplomates: Support HB 1449 and ask your Medical Society to add it to their Legislative Agenda!

Dear NBPAS Diplomates from Virginia,   There has been a new pro-competition bill introduced into this legislative session in Virginia. The bill (HB1449) titled “Physicians; medical specialty board certification options.” – can be found here – http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?201+ful+HB1449+pdf. You will find that NBPAS is listed by name as a re-certification option that hospitals, insurance companies, and other stake holders must accept. The bill is currently being reviewed.   The bill was developed with NBPAS recommendations and introduced by a group of physicians in Virginia called the “Virginia Coalition on MOC Reform”.  They are asking for the help of other Virginia physicians to write letters to your local Medical Society asking for their support. You can send a letter automatically from this link https://www.vamocreform.org/hb1449. They have prepared a letter for you to send, note that it can be modified.   We appreciate your support and we hope to see this pro-competition bill naming NBPAS go into law!   Regards, NBPAS…

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Radiologists With Lifetime Certification Aren’t Participating in the ABR MOC Program

Article from Health Imaging: https://www.healthimaging.com/topics/healthcare-economics/radiologists-lifetime-certification-not-participate-abr-moc

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Maintenance of Certification: To MOC or Not to MOC?

Read article here: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/maintenance-certification-to-moc-or-not-to-moc

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ABIM announced it plans to develop a “longitudinal assessment” option for internists to maintain certification

“The American Board of Internal Medicine(ABIM) announced on its blog Friday that it plans to develop a “longitudinal assessment” option for internists to maintain certification.” Read article: https://www.medicaleconomics.com/news/internists-get-new-option-maintaining-board-certification

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NBPAS Newsletter – Summer 2019

“NBPAS is now 7500 diplomates STRONG! If each of you ask one colleague to join NBPAS we will be at 10,000 diplomates by end of Summer. The larger we are the louder we are.” Read newsletter here: http://www.icontact-archive.com/archive?c=1772015&f=4200&s=4486&m=40610&t=1354262aacda92ca6ff19ce1b1684f9ec3bb4207c210ee20335849486c461dc8

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The inspiring story of how a physician fought MOC against all odds

On December 27, 2018 Michigan governor Rick Snyder signed HB 4134 and 4135 into law, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Meg Edison. Read her story here: https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2019/05/the-inspiring-story-of-how-a-physician-fought-moc-against-all-odds.html

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Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice: Does specialty board certification influence clinical outcomes?

Read journal article here: http://www.medtees.com/content/Grosch-2006-Journal_of_Evaluation_in_Clinical_Practice.pdf

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ABMS Letter to Hospitals

American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) notified hospitals of upcoming changes to continuing certification. Download letter: https://nbpas.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/ABMS Letter to Hospitals_PDF.pdf

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