Press Release - July 2022
The Joint Commission has added NBPAS as a Designated Equivalent Source Agency, effective immediately
July 21, 2022: The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) has been added as a Designated Equivalent Source Agency in The Joint Commission’s Glossary for Ambulatory Care, Behavioral Health and Human Services, Critical Access Hospital, Hospital, and Office-based Surgery Accreditation Manuals.
Designated Equivalent Source Agencies may be used to verify certain credentials in lieu of using the primary source. Designated equivalent sources listed by The Joint Commission include but are not necessarily limited to: The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons, The AMA Physician Masterfile, The American Board of Medical Specialties, The American Osteopathic Physician Database, The Federation of State Medical Boards, and The Educational Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates.
According to NBPAS founder and president, Dr. Paul Teirstein, “This is another important milestone for the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons. Hospitals and health systems look to The Joint Commission standards as important benchmarks for accreditation. Now is a good time for hospitals and health systems to update their bylaws and add NBPAS as an option for physician credentialing and privileging requirements. We are very proud to be added and look forward to welcoming many hospitals, health systems, and physicians nationwide.”
With the addition of The Joint Commission, NBPAS also meets national accreditation standards for hospitals and health plans which also include Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ), Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), The National Committee on Quality Assurance (NCQA), and the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC).
Recertification through NBPAS offers physicians a less burdensome pathway to maintain board certification and is a tangible solution to burnout and the growing national physician shortage. NBPAS’s Executive Director, Katie Collins, also noted that “NBPAS was started by physicians in response to the demand for a board recertification pathway based on practice relevant CME. We are proud to provide that clinically relevant pathway for physicians.”
Founded in 2015, the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons provides physicians with a choice for board recertification through a pathway that is clinically rigorous, evidence-based, less burdensome, value-driven, and nationally recognized. NBPAS has recertified over 10,000 board-certified physicians and is accepted by hundreds of entities including hospitals, health systems, telemedicine companies, and health insurers.
About NBPAS:
NBPAS is a 501c(3), not-for-profit organization led by unpaid physician leadership, widely known as thought leaders in clinical and academic medicine. NBPAS was formed in 2015 to provide a choice in board recertification and is accepted by national accreditation agencies for health plans and hospitals.
