Archive

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL BOARD OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS?

NBPAS is a nonprofit organization that provides physicians and hospitals a choice for allopathic or osteopathic board certification. Founded in 2015 by Dr. Paul Teirstein, Chief of Cardiology, Scripps Clinic, NBPAS supports life-long learning and requires rigorous, specialty-specific, fully accredited Continuing Medical Education (CME). NBPAS requires all physicians to meet the same standards, fostering equity and inclusiveness among a diverse physician community. NBPAS currently represents nearly 10,000 physicians at 157 hospitals in all 50 states.

IS NBPAS AN ACCEPTED BOARD?

Yes, NBPAS meets all national accreditation requirements for hospitals and health plans. This includes the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) for health plans, and The Joint Commission (TJC) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) for hospitals.

WHICH HOSPITALS ACCEPT NBPAS?

Click here for the full list of hospitals and facilities.

DOES NBPAS PERFORM PRIMARY SOURCE VERIFICATION?

Yes, NBPAS performs primary source verification of physicians’ education and training, as required by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC), The Joint Commission (TJC) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV).

HOW CAN I FURTHER SUPPORT NBPAS?

• Spread the word! Share information found HERE with your colleagues.
• Present information about NBPAS board recertification to your hospital’s Medical Executive Committee or invite NBPAS to present and answer questions.
• Ask your Medical Executive Committee to add NBPAS to hospital bylaws. The change is simple and immediately allows hospitals to credential and employ NBPAS board certified physicians.
• Refer hospital physician leadership and/or credentialing staff to our website. Please reach out to us at info@nbpas.org or 1-888-861-4448 for assistance.

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR NBPAS CERTIFICATION?

You can view the full list of requirements on our Criteria page.

IF I AM CURRENTLY BOARD CERTIFIED BUT NOT DUE FOR RE-CERTIFICATION FOR SEVERAL YEARS, SHOULD I STILL CERTIFY WITH NBPAS?

NBPAS relies on the support of physicians who want a choice in how they maintain their board certification. By joining now, you provide the fuel NBPAS needs to thrive and continue to provide you that alternative.

WHAT SPECIALTIES CAN I CERTIFY IN?

NBPAS certifies only ABMS and AOA recognized specialties and subspecialties. View the full list of specialties here.

WHY DOES NBPAS REQUIRE INITIAL BOARD CERTIFICATION BY ABMS?

NBPAS believes in the importance of Initial board certification by ABMS or AOA. NBPAS was formed to provide physicians with a choice for board recertification.

DO I NEED TO PROVIDE A COPY OF MY INITIAL BOARD CERTIFICATE?

No, we perform primary source verification of your board certification status using the information you provide in your application.

DOES NBPAS CERTIFICATION REQUIRE A TEST OR EXAM?

No.

WHEN APPLYING FOR CERTIFICATION FOR MULTIPLE SPECIALTIES, DO I NEED 50 HOURS IN EACH SPECIALTY?

No, a total of 50 CME hours in any of the specialties applied for is sufficient. However, if your initial board certification in any specialties applied for has lapsed, you must have 100 CME hours. For example – if you apply for Internal Medicine (ABIM lapsed/expired) and Cardiovascular Disease (ABIM still current), you will need to submit 100 CME hours with your application.

IF I AM GRANDFATHERED IN A SPECIALTY (I.E. MY ABMS BOARD 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 a minimum of 50 hours (not 100 hours) of CMEs completed in the past 24 months.

WHAT TYPES OF CMES DOES NBPAS ACCEPT?

NBPAS accepts only ACCME-accredited, AMA Category 1 CME for MDs and AOA Category 1A & 2A CME for DOs.

HOW CAN I SUBMIT MY CME DOCUMENTS TO NBPAS?

CME documents can be submitted four (4) different ways:

• During the application process - complete the application, submit payment information, and then you will be able to upload your CME documents.
• Log in to your NBPAS account and select “Upload CME” from the navigation options.
• Email to documents@nbpas.org, or
• Fax to (888) 861-4449

WHAT IS THE TURN-AROUND TIME FOR PROCESSING MY NBPAS APPLICATION?

Four weeks or less.

WHAT IS THE COST FOR NBPAS CERTIFICATION?

NBPAS Certification is $189 every two years.   Discounts are available for fellows and military.

WHAT IS MY APPLICATION FEE USED FOR?

NBPAS is a nonprofit organization that prioritizes financial integrity and accountability. Fees support administrative expenses such as website maintenance, staff salaries, legal fees, computers, office space, and supplies. We also use funds to advocate for NBPAS in the broader healthcare community. Our physician management and board of directors volunteer their time and are unpaid.  NBPAS works very hard to contain costs and keep fees to a minimum.

IF I AM BOARD CERTIFIED IN A SURGICAL SPECIALTY (I.E. INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY, OPHTHALMOLOGY, ETC.) BUT NO LONGER HOLD ACTIVE HOSPITAL PRIVILEGES OR PERFORM SURGERIES, DO I STILL QUALIFY FOR NBPAS CERTIFICATION?

We offer a non-operative pathway for physicians in surgical specialties that do not hold active hospital privileges. You’ll be required to attest to this information on your application. Once verified and approved, your certification will be notated with the status of non-operative pathway.

CAN I APPLY IF I HAVEN’T YET COMPLETED MY CME?

We suggest that you complete all CME credits before applying. However, you have 6 months from your application date to complete and submit your remaining CME credits.

HOW LONG IS NBPAS CERTIFICATION GOOD FOR?

It is a two-year certification that requires renewal every two years.

I SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION. HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO PROCESS? HOW CAN I CHECK THE STATUS OF MY APPLICATION?

It typically takes up to 4 weeks to process your application. Log in to your NBPAS account to check the status of your application. You are also welcome to email us at info@nbpas.org for more information.

I’M RETIRED BUT I’D LOVE TO SUPPORT WHAT YOUR DOING! HOW CAN I HELP?

Spread the word with your fellow colleagues.

HOW DO I CHECK MY CERTIFICATION INFORMATION (I.E. EXPIRATION DATE, SPECIALTIES CERTIFIED, ETC.)?

Search your name on our Verification page to find details about your certification. Or LOGIN to your account to review your certification status.

I LOST/CAN’T FIND MY NBPAS CERTIFICATE. HOW DO I GET ANOTHER COPY?

LOGIN to your account to download and print another copy. You can also email info@nbpas.org or call (888) 861-4448 to request another copy of your certificate.

MY CERTIFICATION DETAILS ARE WRONG ON YOUR WEBSITE. HOW DO I GET IT CORRECTED?

Immediately email info@nbpas.org or call (888) 861-4448 so we can correct your information.

WHAT TITLE CAN I USE IN MY SIGNATURE TO SHOW I’M NBPAS CERTIFIED?

Many NBPAS diplomates have added “DNBPAS” after their name in the signature line to show they are NBPAS certified.

MY HOSPITAL ACCEPTED MY NBPAS CERTIFICATION, BUT I DON’T SEE THEM LISTED ON YOUR WEBSITE. HOW CAN I GET THEM ADDED?

That’s great news! Email the hospital’s information to info@nbpas.org, and we will get them added to our accepting hospitals list as soon as possible.

HOW DO I GET MY HOSPITAL TO ACCEPT OR RECOGNIZE NBPAS CERTIFICATION?

We have template emails you can download and use to introduce your Medical Executive Committee to the idea of accepting NBPAS. Visit our NBPAS Materials page for more information.

MY NBPAS CERTIFICATION IS UP FOR RENEWAL SOON. HOW DO I RENEW IT?

From the NBPAS homepage, click on “APPLY/RENEW” to login to your Diplomate Portal and get started with the renewal process.

I LET MY NBPAS CERTIFICATION EXPIRE. IF I WANT TO RECERTIFY AGAIN, WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

We welcome you to renew certification! If your NBPAS certification expired less than 6 months, you’ll only need a minimum of 50 CME credits from the past 24 months. If your certification expired more than 6 months ago, you’ll need a minimum of 100 CME credits from the past 24 months.

When you’re ready to renew, (1) LOGIN to your account using your email address*, (2) submit your renewal application and fee, and (3) provide evidence of your accredited CME credits. *If your email address has changed, please contact us (info@nbpas.org) and we can update your email address before you renew.

AFTER I HAVE SUBMITTED MY RENEWAL APPLICATION, HOW/WHEN DO I GET MY UPDATED NBPAS CERTIFICATE?

You will receive your renewed NBPAS certificate by email after our staff finalizes everything with your renewal application. Once you receive that email, it will also be available to download from your online account. That typically takes anywhere from 2-4 weeks.