The Monthly Dose: January 2025

Welcome to 2025 and the latest edition of "The Monthly Dose"!

Let’s dig in!

News and Announcements

Fueling Our Progress - Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our end-of-year fundraising, which totaled an incredible $37,775! Your generosity fuels NBPAS’ outreach and advocacy efforts as we continue to focus on growth and acceptance in the hospital and payor sectors, with a new emphasis on countering misinformation in 2025.

We also want to thank our diplomates for being NBPAS-certified, leading by example, and advocating for change in your workplaces. Your commitment makes our work possible, and we’re deeply grateful.

This January marks NBPAS’ 10-year anniversary! Since 2015, we’ve made incredible strides thanks to the commitment and advocacy of our growing community. With your continued support, we’re optimistic about achieving significant progress in 2025. Every voice in the NBPAS movement amplifies our impact, driving change toward fair and reasonable certification policies.

Stay tuned as we celebrate this milestone and share highlights and new initiatives throughout the year.

MOC in the News

NBPAS is proud to share that Medical Economics selected "Prescribing Insanity: Monopoly in Continuous Board Certification Drives Costs Up and Physicians Out," authored by NBPAS Associate Director Karen Schatten, as part of their prestigious "Best of 2024" series - recognizing articles that pave the way for better patient care.

Congratulations to Karen for this well-deserved recognition and her tireless advocacy on behalf of physicians nationwide.

Read Full Article

New Study: State Anti-MOC Laws Increase Physician Retention

A recent study conducted by the Department of Economics at Appalachian State University has revealed a significant link between anti-Maintenance of Certification (MOC) laws and the retention of physicians over the age of 60. The findings indicate that states with anti-MOC laws in place retain up to 6% more physicians in this age group. To put this into perspective, states like Texas and California would see an additional 4,500 and 7,500 physicians retained, respectively. When extrapolated nationally, this translates to approximately 60,000 additional physicians re-entering clinical medicine, potentially cutting the projected physician shortage nearly in half.

At NBPAS, we deeply value this study as an excellent foundation for quantifying the impacts of MOC requirements on physician access. These findings are a vital step forward in understanding how policy changes can address physician shortages and improve access to care.

We also believe that further research is critical—particularly on how MOC requirements may drive younger physicians (under age 60) to experience burnout, reduce clinical hours, or transition into nonclinical roles. Understanding this additional dynamic is key to shaping future policy decisions that support the importance of NBPAS in bringing choice and competition to physicians' lifelong learning, and keeping physicians with their patients.

Advocacy Update

Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision Adds NBPAS for Advertising!

On January 23, 2025, the Oklahoma Board of Medicine voted to allow all NBPAS-certified physicians in the state to advertise themselves as “board certified,” following an NBPAS presentation to the board last November. This landmark vote was unanimous in favor of NBPAS despite a counter presentation by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).

NBPAS Associate Director, Karen Schatten, shared that, "The members of Oklahoma Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision thoughtfully considered the facts and data. We are obviously thrilled at the outcome and look forward to continuing our support for NBPAS physicians in Oklahoma, and by extension, their patients."

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all our diplomates in Oklahoma for achieving this recognition. Your dedication and support for NBPAS have been instrumental in driving this progress.

Building on this significant win, we are excited to carry this momentum into our discussions with other state medical boards, further advancing the recognition of NBPAS nationwide.

Texas Medical Board Physician Advertising Rule Update:

NPBAS is extremely disappointed with the Texas Medical Board's (TMB) decision to decline an update to its "board certified" advertising rule. This decision disregards over 200 physician comments submitted in favor of change and new and convincing evidence that policies requiring MOC reduce the number of practicing physicians.

Concerningly, the TMB reported receiving only 59 NBPAS comments while NPBAS records show more than 200 submissions from physicians. To gain clarity and ensure transparency, NBPAS intends to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. This request will seek access to TMB discussions, email communications, and votes related to this issue.

NBPAS stands firm in its belief that the current rule is outdated and harmful to both physicians and their patients. By only recognizing boards offering initial board certification, the TMB has chosen to disregard NBPAS and its growing position as a nationally accepted and respected certifying organization. TMB’s approach fails to reflect modern realities and unfairly limits physicians who meet high standards of practice through alternative pathways.

Additionally, NPBAS is alarmed by the apparent inconsistency in TMB’s advertising rules for physicians compared to other licensed professions, including acupuncturists, as seen here:

§184.27.Acupuncture Advertising.

(a) Acupuncturists shall not authorize or use false, misleading, or deceptive advertising.

(b) Acupuncturists also shall not:

(2) use the terms "board certified" unless the advertising also discloses the complete name of the board which conferred the referenced certification and is currently certified.

NBPAS will continue to advocate for physicians’ rights to accurately advertise their qualifications and credentials and will continue to educate the TMB on this subject

Looking Ahead - 2025 in Focus

Introducing: NBPAS Leadership Academy

We are thrilled to share that throughout 2025, the NBPAS team will be offering live and on-demand training sessions to help all NBPAS physicians better understand, and advocate for, changes in continuing certification.

Stay tuned for more details in next month’s Monthly Dose! For now, here’s a preview of the topics you can expect:

State Licensure and Interstate Compact: Understand the requirements and barriers in state medical licensure, MOC, and the role of the FSMB and IMLC, along with efforts to drive change.
Insurance and Payor Advocacy: Gain insight into health insurance policies related to MOC and learn strategies to advocate for NBPAS recognition in payor and contracting processes.
MOC and Federal Funding: Follow the financial flow of MOC in healthcare, its impact on education and academia, and ways to overcome obstacles and advocate for reform.
Advocating for NBPAS: A practical guide to introducing and promoting NBPAS at your hospital or employer effectively.
Addressing Misinformation: Equip yourself with factual counterpoints to debunk anti-NBPAS misinformation and tackle misconceptions in public and professional discussions.
Leadership and Advocacy: Learn from NBPAS leaders serving in key organizations (e.g., state boards, IMLC, AMA) about using your voice to drive meaningful change.
The MOC Network: Explore the interconnected nonprofits supporting MOC, their influence on policy, and how you can counter their agenda to advocate for physician choice.

Champions of Change

Thank you to all NBPAS physicians who go above and beyond to champion life-long learning while advocating for competition and choice in continuing certification.

NBPAS is proud to honor the January Champions of Change!

As we kick off 2025, NBPAS is proud to honor the January Champions of Change - the original NBPAS diplomates who certified with us from the start and now celebrate 10 incredible years of supporting our mission!

Thank you to:

Daniel Einhorn, M.D.
Connie J. Braun, M.D.
Paul W. Johnson, D.O.
Tony D. Gabrielson, M.D.
John David Corl, M.D.
David William Shonkoff, M.D.
Richard Clark Male, D.O.
Michael White, M.D.
Christopher Wright, M.D.
Christopher Burress, D.O.
Desmond Ebanks, M.D.
Alexander George Truesdell, M.D.
Thomas Morgan, M.D.
Christopher Jenkins, M.D.
Jose A. Mata, M.D.
Kimberly M. Lavigne, M.D.
Askin Uysal, M.D.
David Alexandre Alcindor, M.D.
Atif Shafqat, M.D.
Carl R. Feind, M.D.
Marc M. Triola, M.D.
Alexis Powell, M.D.
Anuradha Chirala, M.D.
Roger Belbel, D.O.
Steven E. Haber, M.D.
Paul Cole, M.D.
Bret Witter, M.D.
Greg S. Cohen, M.D.
Erskine James, M.D.
Arnold Lentnek, M.D.
Charles I. Davis, M.D.
Gregory L. Hall, M.D.
Mitchell Wayne Hecht, M.D.
James Marcum, M.D.
Jeffrey A. Hirsch, M.D.
Hassan Haddad, M.D.
Lisa Frappier, D.O.
Thomas F. Hattar, M.D.
Linda Anegawa, M.D.
Rocky Bilhartz, M.D.
Joshua M. Krasnow, M.D.
Karen Goodlett, M.D.
Mohammad Khalil, M.D.
Pearl Wu, M.D.
Patrick Win, M.D.
Marjorie Garrett, M.D.
Kenneth Mandell, M.D.
Michael J. Martinelli, M.D.
Allan B. Wicks, M.D.
William Jay Robbins, M.D.
Eugene H. Eisman, M.D.
Varun Choudhary, M.D.
Nadia Akhmed, M.D.
Michael Joseph Chiu, M.D.
Michael C. Malinics, D.O.
Mingsang Lin, M.D.
Jacob Willem Ijdo, M.D.

These trailblazing physicians embody the spirit of courage and leadership, taking a stand against the status quo and calling for meaningful competition and change in countinuous board certification. We are endlessly grateful to them and to every physician, past and present who has joined us in shaping the future of medicine.

We couldn’t do this important work without each and every one of you. Thank you for standing with us and for your dedication to this cause. Together, we are creating a better future for physicians and their patients.

Here’s to another year of continued progress!

Not yet a Diplomate? Apply for NBPAS Certification today.

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We look forward to hearing from you.