About NBPAS
National Board of Physicians and Surgeons
Founded in 2015, the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) is a non-profit, physician-led organization offering a streamlined pathway to maintain board certification through CME, rather than the burdensome MOC process. Our application takes less than five minutes and requires initial certification from ABMS or AOA, an active medical license, and 50 hours of specialty-specific CME (Category 1). NBPAS is dedicated to providing a clinically relevant, less time-consuming option for maintaining your board certification. (More about NBPAS Criteria)
Background
April 2000
Requirement for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) begins
- American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) initiates Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements.
January 2015
Growing discontent over MOC inspires the start of NBPAS
- Over 22,000 physicians voice discontent with the MOC requirements.
- In response to these concerns, renowned interventional cardiologist Paul Teirstein, M.D., along with a group of 20 physician leaders, launch a competing continuous certification pathway now known as the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS).
May 2019
Studies show MOC lacks evidence that it improves patient care
- A growing body of evidence finds no association between MOC completion and lower surgical complication rates, underscoring what physicians already know to be true - MOC does not make better doctors or improve patient outcomes.
March 2021
NBPAS meets NCQA national accreditation requirements for health plans
- The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) confirms that NBPAS is being included in their 2022 Health Plan Standards and Guidelines as an acceptable source to verify board certification.
April 2022
NBPAS meets URAC national accreditation requirements for health plans
- URAC confirms that they accept physician board certification from NBPAS, as long as it is accepted by the organization's clinical leadership.
July 2022
NBPAS meets national accreditation requirements for hospitals including The Joint Commission (TJC) and Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
- The Joint Commission adds NBPAS to its list of designated equivalent source agencies for verifying board certification.
- DNV Healthcare clarifies that they do not require physician board certification for their accreditation programs, leaving the decision to accept specific certifications to individual hospitals.
Today, 2025
NBPAS continues to grow nationwide
- Over 15,000 NBPAS-certified physicians across all 50 states
- Certifying/recertifying over 400 physicians a month
- Over 250 hospitals, health systems, telemedicine companies, and payers recognize NBPAS certification
