2009 ABOS RECERTIFICATION CALENDAR
•January 15, 2008Application available online at
•May 1, 2008Deadline for application.
•June 1, 2008Application late deadline with additional $250.00 late fee
•November,2008Credentials Committee meets to decide admission of applicants to the examinations. Letters of notification mailed to candidates.
•December 15, 2008Case list due for oral examination.
•December 15, 2008Examination fee due for all chosen pathways
•February 2009Practice Profile Pathways –Scheduling permits mailed to candidates.
•March/April 2009Computer Pathway -- Computer Administered Recertification Examinations, Prometric Technology Centers.
•May 2009Oral Pathway -- List of 12 selected cases mailed to candidates.
•June 2009Oral Pathway -- Panel assignments and admission cards mailed.
•June 2009Combined Hand Pathway – Scheduling permits mailed to candidates.
•June 2009Computer Pathway exam results mailed to candidates.
•July 20, 2009Oral Pathway -- Practice-Based Oral Recertification Examination, Palmer House, Chicago.
• August 2009Oral Pathway exam results mailed to candidates.
•AugustCombined Hand Computer Examination administered at Prometric Technology Centers.
•October 2009Results mailed to candidates.
AMERICAN BOARD
OF
ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY, INC.
2009
Rules and Procedures for the
Recertification Examinations
for Diplomates with certificates
expiring in or before 2009
Shepard R. Hurwitz, M.D.
Executive Director
400 Silver Cedar Court, Chapel Hill, North Carolina27514
Telephone: (919) 929-7103
Fax: (919) 942-8988
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery reserves the right to make changes in its rules and procedures at any time and without prior notice.
January, 2008
2009 ABOS recertification
Rules and Procedures
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.Introduction...... 1
II.Objectives of Recertification in Orthopaedic Surgery...... 2
III.Requirements for Recertification...... 2
Practice-Based Oral Examination...... 5
Combined Hand Examination…………………………………………………….7
Practice Profile Examinations………………………………………………….. 8
IV.Impaired Physicians...... 8
V.Procedure for Application and Selection of Evaluation Option...... 9
Application and Examination Fees...... 10
VI.Falsified Information and Irregular Behavior...... 10
VII.Credentials Decisions...... 11
VIII.Certification and Recredentialing by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery..12
IX.Unsuccessful Candidates for the Recertification Examination...... 14
X.Appeals Procedure...... 15
1
I.
INTRODUCTION
A.Definition
Orthopaedic surgery is the medical specialty that includes the preservation, investigation, and restoration of the form and function of the extremities, spine, and associated structures by medical, surgical, and physical methods.
B.Purpose
The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, Inc. was founded in 1934 as a private, voluntary, nonprofit, autonomous organization. It functions to serve the best interests of the public and of the medical profession by establishing educational standards for orthopaedic residents and by evaluating the initial and continuing qualifications and knowledge of orthopaedic surgeons. For this purpose, the Board reviews the credentials and practices of voluntary candidates and issues certificates as appropriate. It defines minimum educational requirements in the specialty, stimulates graduate medical education, and aids in the evaluation of educational facilities and programs.
The Board confers no rights on its diplomates. It does not purport to direct licensed physicians in any way in the conduct of their professional duties or lives. It is neither the intent nor the purpose of the Board to define requirements for membership in any organization or for the credentialing of staff privileges of any hospital.
Recertification, like certification, is a voluntary process.
C.Directors
The directors of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery are elected from diplomates of the Board who are nominated by the American Orthopaedic Association, the American Medical Association, and the AmericanAcademy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
D.Organization
Directors of the Board elect a president, president elect, secretary, and treasurer annually. An executive director, who is a diplomate, serves as an ex-officio director of the Board. The president appoints directors to serve on standing committees on credentials, examinations, finance, graduate education, and research. Other committees may be formed as deemed necessary. The Board holds regularly scheduled meetings yearly.
E.Directory
A current directory of certified orthopaedic surgeons is maintained by the Board. The names of diplomates also appear in The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists published by the American Board of Medical Specialties.
2
II.
OBJECTIVES OF RECERTIFICATION
IN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY
An orthopaedic surgeon who has been certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery has met the educational requirements of the Board and has demonstrated that the surgeon possesses the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential to the delivery of competent care based on scientific evidence and adheres to acceptable ethical and professional standards.
The objectives of recertification in orthopaedic surgery are:
A.To allow a certified orthopaedic surgeon to demonstrate periodically and voluntarily his or her continuing knowledge of the subspecialty.
B.To encourage the orthopaedic surgeon to engage in educational activities designed to identify and correct perceived areas of deficiency in knowledge and to stimulate improvements in educational programs.
C.To provide a mechanism for voluntary recertification for those orthopaedic surgeons who practice in states that will accept specialty board recertification as a method of securing renewal of their license to practice medicine in that state.
III.
REQUIREMENTS for RECERTIFICATION
The requirements for recertification are very similar to those for certification:
Education: CERTIFICATIONRECERTIFICATION
residency trainingcontinuing medical education
Recommendations:hospital departmentpeers, hospitaldepartment chiefs
chiefs, program director,
peers,nursing staff
Examination:computer and oral one of seven pathways
A.General Requirements
In order to be recertified, diplomates must meet the following requirements:
1.Submit a completed application form and the application fee.
- Submit evidence of having fulfilled the continuing medical education requirements.
- Successfully complete peer review and be approved by the Credentials Committee.
3
4.Possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in all jurisdictions where the diplomate practices or holds a license.
5.Successfully complete one of the evaluation options for recertification for which they have been approved.
B.Continuing Medical Education (Life Long Learning) Requirements
Because the concept of recertification revolves around currently useful medical knowledge, the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery has recognized the importance of continuing medical education (Life Long Learning) by requiring it as a part of all pathways leading to recertification.
The applicant must have received 120 credits of Category Icontinuing medical education that is relevant to the practice of orthopaedic surgery. This must be obtained during the three-year period immediately prior to the date of filing an application for the examination. These credits must be documented by the issuing body or agency.
The American Medical Association’s (AMA) Physician Recognition Award format for determining Category I credits will be used to record credits. Responsibility for recording events, dates, and credits rests with the applicant. Only actually attended meetings, courses, workshops, seminars, etc., may be claimed. Credits may be claimed individually or by hospital staff appointment or reappointment forms, state medical society forms, AmericanAcademy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ records, or by AMA-PRA form.
C.Credentials Committee Review
The applicant must demonstrate professional competence and adherence to acceptable ethical and professional standards. The applicant should not publicize him or herself through any medium or form of public communication in an untruthful, misleading or deceptive manner.
Approval to take the recertification examination will be determined by the Credentials Committee after review of the application, letters of recommendation, and any other relevant information provided to the Board.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide the information on which the Credentials Committee bases its evaluation of his or her qualifications. This responsibility extends to information that the Credentials Committee requests from other persons. If the Credentials Committee does not receive requested information that it believes to be relevant from the applicant, a reference, a hospital representative, or another source, the Board will notify the applicant and will defer a decision to admit the applicant to the examination until the requested information is received and evaluated. When the information on an applicant is insufficient, the Credentials Committee may seek further input from local, regional, or national sources.
The Credentials Committee may require that representatives of the Board visit the practice of an applicant if the Committee decides that this is necessary for an adequate evaluation of the applicant’s practice to decide whether to admit the applicant to the examination. Alternatively, the Committee may offer the applicant the opportunity to take the practice based oral examination for recertification in lieu of a site visit of the practice.
The Credentials Committee may direct an applicant, as a condition of approval to sit for recertification, to take the practice based oral examination for recertification where:
4
1.there has been a limitation, suspension, termination or voluntary surrender while under investigation, of the applicant’s medical license or any right associated with the practice of medicine in any state, province or country during the applicant’s most recent period of certification;
2.there has been a denial, limitation, suspension, termination or resignation, at the request of a hospital, of all or any portion of an applicant’s surgical staff privileges based on patient care issues during the applicant’s most recent period of certification;
3.a practice site visit report has identified significant questions as to whether an applicant’s practice demonstrates professional competence and adherence to acceptable professional standards such that the Credentials Committee determines that an oral practice based examination is necessary for an adequate evaluation of the applicant’s practice; and/or
4.the applicant fails a second time, after deferral of his or her application, to provide the Credentials Committee with the requisite number of individuals familiar with the applicant’s work, as specified in the application for recertification, to enable the Credentials Committee to conduct peer review and evaluate the applicant’s practice.
The direction by the Credentials Committee that an applicant takes the practice based oral examination as a condition of approval is subject to appeal pursuant to Article X “Appeals Procedure” herein.”
The Credentials Committee may also direct an applicant not engaged in operative orthopaedic practice to choose a non-practice based or profiled evaluation option.
D.License Requirement
Applicants who are in practice at the time that they apply for the recertification examination must possess a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States or Canada, or be engaged in full-time practice in the United States federal government, for which licensure is not required. An applicant will be rendered ineligible for the recertification examination by limitation, suspension, or termination of any right associated with the practice of medicine in any state, province, or country due to violation of a medical practice act, statute, or governmental regulation; disciplinary action by any medical licensing authority; by entry into a consent order, by voluntary surrender of license while under investigation, or suspension of license. Any limitation, suspension or termination of an applicant’s license to practice medicine due solely to his or her entry into and successful participation in and/or completion of a rehabilitation or diversionary program for chemical dependency authorized by the applicable medical licensing authority shall not, by itself, disqualify an applicant from taking a certification examination.
Applicants who voluntarily allow their licenses to lapse and who are no longer in the active practice of orthopaedic surgery may apply for recertification, but will be restricted as to the examination options suitable to their status.
E.Evaluation Options
The applicant will choose an evaluation pathway at the time of application. The choices are: Practice-Based Oral Examination, Combined Hand Computer Examination, Computer
5
Administered General Clinical Examination, and three Computer Administered Practice Profiled Examinations;provided that an applicantmaybe restricted as to theavailableexaminationoptionsby determination of the Credentials Committee as specified in these Rules and Procedures.
Practice-Based Oral RECERTIFICATION Examination
The practice-based oral pathway for recertification consists of an examination on cases selected from a six-month case list prepared by the applicant. Applicants must submit a list of all operative procedures performed in a hospital, ambulatory care facility, or in any office setting for any consecutive six-month period within the two-years prior to December 1, 2008. A separate list must be prepared for each hospital, ambulatory care center, or office utilized by the applicant.
1.Case Collection: Cases are collected via the Scribe program which is accessible through the ABOS website ( once you have created your User login information. Before you begin, you may view a layout of the case list data collection sheet by clicking on Recertification and then clicking on Sample Case List Data Sheet.
All cases must be collected from each hospital and/or surgery center at which the applicant has operated during a consecutive six-month period. If the applicant did no cases during the case collection period, a letter from the hospital and/or surgery center must verify this fact. The letter must be sent to the Board office along with the case list. The case list must demonstrate ample cases to allow selection of material for the oral examination.
Once all cases have been entered the applicant will print the case lists by hospital. No changes can be made to the case lists after this is done. Each complete hospital list must then be certified by the director of medical records. The director of medical records' signature must then be notarized.
2.Case Submission: The Board must receive the following postmarked on or before December 15,2008:
a)The finalized printed case list for the required six month period. Each hospital list must be stapled separately and have the required signatures and notarization. Before mailing, the applicant should make three copies of the complete case list(s) as the copies the applicant must bring to the examination must be of these printed and certified lists.
b)For each hospital or surgery center where no case was performed, the applicant must submit a letter from that institution stating that no case was performed during the six-month collection period.
This information must be sent to the Board office by registered mail or courier of your choice (i.e. Federal Express, Express Mail, Certified Mail, etc.) to: ABOS, Recertification Department, 400 Silver Cedar Court, Chapel Hill, NC 27514. Case lists must be postmarked by December 15, 2008. The Board office will not verify receipt of case lists.
3.Case Selection: The Board will select 12 cases from the applicant’s six-month case list, which will be sent to the applicant in mid-May. From the list of 12, the applicant will then select 10 cases to bring to the examination for detailed presentation.
4.Exam Materials/Preparation: Once the candidate has received the list of the 12 cases selected by the Board, he or she must gather all of the following to bring to the examination:
a) Three copies of the list of 12 selected cases
b)Three copies of the case list summary sheet
6
c)Three copies of the complication list
d)Three copies of the applicant’s complete case list that was submitted to the Board in December with the 10 selected cases circled on each copy.
e)Three copies of notes for the applicant’s 10 selected cases including admission and discharge notes, operative notes, and office notes. All records must be unaltered copies of the original materials.
f)One copy of images (including x-rays) for the applicant’s 10 selected cases including the pertinent pre-operative, intra-or immediate post-operative, and most recent follow-up x-rays for each case selected by the applicant for presentation. Before the examination begins, x-rays should be arranged in order of presentation and clearly marked with the pre- and post-date. Pertinent images in CT and MRI panels must also be marked. The applicant must bring hard or paper copies of all image studies even if his/her institution uses a digital image system.
g)One copy of video prints or photographic prints for arthroscopy cases selected that show the initial lesion and the lesion after treatment. (Do not bring videotapes.)
h)For selected cases with complications, images (including x-rays) pertinent to the complication and its treatment and three copies of any consultation report.
All materials for the examination must be in English. All materials brought to the examination including all records, notes and images, must be in their original form. Materials must not be altered or changed in anyrespectfor presentation at the examination except as listed in 1 and 2 below:
1) Because the examination is to be anonymous the candidate should remove his or her name from written material brought to the examination, including the six-month case list(s) and the complication sheet and the board's list of 12 selected cases and the case list summary sheet.
2) To comply with the HIPAA Privacy Rule, candidates should limit the scope of identifiable patient information disclosed at the oral examination to the minimum necessary to conduct the examination. Therefore, you should not remove from the case materials you bring to present at the examination:
- Patient ID number
- Medical record number
- Patient Name
- Birth date
- Medical device identifiers
- Serial numbers
However, you should removefrom the case materials you bring to present at the examination:
- Patient addresses
- Patient telephone numbers
- Patient fax numbers
- Patient e-mail addresses
- Patient Social Security numbers
- Health plan beneficiary numbers
- Biometric identifiers
- Full face photographs and comparable images
- Any other unique identifying characteristic
7
Failure to bring sufficient materials for the 10 selected cases to enable the examiners to evaluate the cases may result in the disqualification of the applicant, termination of the applicant’s participation in the examination or the withholding of scores.
Although the examiners will concentrate on cases brought for presentation, they may also ask questions pertaining to an applicant’s case lists or practice. The applicant should not be concerned if all material brought to the examination is not covered. Discussion may focus on one area, or applicant and examiners may become involved in a few cases in such detail that time will not allow presentation of all patients. The applicant will not be penalized for this during grading.