The American Medical Association's House of Delegates passed a resolution to get rid of recertification examinations, despite some officials voicing their opposition of the resolution.
Here are five things to know:
1. Association of American Physicians and Surgeons Executive Director Jane Orient, MD, said if physicians missed one too many questions, their degrees would expire, and they would lose their jobs.
2. Dr. Orient went on to say older physicians who successfully completed advanced specialty training are board certified for life, while physicians who completed their training in the late 1980s or even later received time-limited certification.
3. For those physicians with a time-limited certification, they technically can voluntarily take the recertification exam, which Dr. Orient refers to as expensive and difficult. However, for those who decline or even fail, they risk losing insurance panel membership or hospital privileges.
4. The AMA passed the resolution despite the AMA's Reference Committee's best efforts. Florida and Pennsylvania state medical associations' delegates played a crucial role in passing the resolution.
5. In response to the AMA's decision, the American Board of Medical Specialties said continuing medical education is not enough and the resolution "erodes the public's trust."
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