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:

  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.

8,900

Current Diplomates

138

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: These Med Board Execs Make Triple a Practicing Doc’s Salary

“Top executives at medical boards frequently make more money than the average practicing physicians they regulate — and sometimes it’s a lot more.   MedPage Today looked at tax documents for ABMS and its 24 member boards to find executive compensation and compared those figures with data from the American Medical Group Association’s latest physician salary survey.   The analysis found that for the 19 boards with complete data on both executive and physician pay, 12 of those executives made more than the median specialist salary.”   Read more here – https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/91966?trw=no

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MedPage Today: Continuing Certification a Cash Cow for Emergency Medicine Board

“Medical specialty boards have come under fire in recent years for their spending of physicians’ hard-earned dollars, particularly when it comes to the controversial idea of “continuing certification” (formerly known as “maintenance of certification,” or MOC) — which brings in a substantial chunk of revenue for many boards, including ABEM, which has 38,500 diplomates.   Documents provided to MedPage Today offer an inside look at the finances of one of the 24 member boards that make up the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). In some respect, they paint a portrait of a well-run business: one that brings in almost $19 million a year while sitting on nearly $40 million in reserves. But they also show an enterprise with generous pay for executives and staff, and where luxury travel is the norm.”   Read more here – https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/91967?trw=no  

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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

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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…

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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

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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

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“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

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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

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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

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