<p>Atlantic General Hospital Should Accept NBPAS certification as an Alternative to ABMS certification for Hospital Privileges.</p><p>Many ABMS member boards have created Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements which require significant time and expense and have no proven value. For many physicians on the Atlantic General Hospital medical staff, participation in MOC activities is required to maintain board certification and board certification is required to maintain hospital privileges. A new certifying organization, the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS.org.) was created to provide an alternative to ABMS certification. NBPAS certification requires initial certification by an ABMS member board, but uses accredited CME instead of MOC as the primary measure of continuing certification. Accredited CME is a meaningful educational activity that can be tailored to an individual physician’s practice.</p><p>Criteria for NBPAS certification:</p><p>– Previous certification by an ABMS member board</p><p>– Valid license to practice medicine</p><p>– At least 50 hours of ACCME accredited CME within the past 24 months</p><p>– For selected specialties, active hospital privileges in that specialty</p><p>– Clinical privileges in certified specialty have not been permanently revoked</p><p>Whereas,</p><p>1) There is no scientific data linking ABMS MOC activities with improved patient care.</p><p>2) Via either personal experience with MOC or the experience of our colleagues we believe ABMS MOC activities are unreasonably complex, have questionable value, and detract from more worthwhile pursuits, including patient care and other educational activities.</p><p>3) NBPAS is an alternative certifying organization that requires initial certification by an ABMS member board but uses accredited CME as the primary measure of continued certification.</p><p>4) Certification by the NBPAS is a more meaningful alternative to ABMS certification.</p><p>Therefore,</p><p>The undersigned call on the credentials committees, medical executive committee and Hospital Governing Board of Atlantic General Hospital to accept NBPAS certification as a valid alternative to ABMS member board certification for hospital privileges.</p><p>If you support this petition, please send it to your colleagues on the hospital medical staff office for distribution.</p><p>THIS PETITION SHOULD ONLY BE SIGNED BY A MEMBER OF ATLANTIC GENERAL HOSPITAL MEDICAL STAFF AND SHOULD ONLY BE SIGNED ONCE.</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Dr. Jef Fernley</p>
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