The Wall Street Journal has reported on medical providers concerned about Board Certification requirements and what board-certified physicians must do to prove that their knowledge and skills are up-to-date. We believe updated reviews are important because medicine is changing and it would help reduce medical malpractice and protect patients. That has to be balanced with time demand on physicians in a busy private practice. About 75% of U.S. doctors are certified by 24 privately run boards, signifying that they have mastered their area of specialty, in fields ranging from internal medicine to orthopedics. The specialty boards require member physicians to pass rigorous exams, generally every 10 years, to stay certified. The Wall Street Journal article addresses the controvery created because those boards also have begun requiring doctors to enroll in official Maintenance of Certification programs to show committment to lifelong learning and quality improvement. Often when we have a doctor's conduct reviewed by an expert, our expert can guess the potential defendant's age or even where they trained. Out of date medicine is substandard medicine and we support continuing efforts to make sure Board Certification means up to date. By the way, the same is true for lawyers and other specialists as well! Law is also a dynamic profession and we spend several days every year in Continuing Legal Education programs. The testing has a positive effect: The pass rate for internists on the 10-year exam has dropped from 90% five years ago to 65% this year. When they don't pass the exam, "it's a wake-up call. And then they study and the ultimatly pass." Source
