This is a sample email to send to colleagues via email, social media and your hospital medical staff’s distribution list about the benefits of applying to the NBOPAS for continuous board certification.

Dear Colleagues,
As you know, there is controversy surrounding the new maintenance of certification (MOC) requirements for continued board certification. Many physicians believe recent changes by the American Board of Medical Specialties requiring physicians engage in various medical knowledge, practice-assessment, and patient-safety activities as well as recertification exams do not provide optimal use of physician’s time. Furthermore, no high quality data exist to justify these labor intensive and expensive activities. A petition to change the requirements now has >21,000 signatures but ABIM has not made meaningful changes to the 2014 MOC requirements. Many have asked about a “next step” and asked for an alternative.

An alternative now exists. The National Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons (NBOPAS.org), an alternative Board providing continuing board certification. (See board members below). The major difference is replacing onerous computer modules and repeated exams with ACCME accredited Continuing Medical Education. (See complete requirements below). It will be up to physicians like us and the NBOPAS to petition our hospitals and payers to accept this alternative, more reasonable, board certification.

The NBOPAS fee is $169 for two year certification (i.e. $84.50 per year), irrespective of the number of specialty applications. This one fee covers two years and all your specialties. The fee will be adjusted up or down in future years, determined by expenses. Physicians in or within 2 years of training qualify for a reduced rate of $29 for a two year certification ($14.50/year). The application requires less than 15 minutes to complete.

To demonstrate our commitment, it would be helpful for all who support this endeavor to apply for certification.
Go to NBOPAS.org to view the website, apply for certification, and leave comments.

Below is a full list of NBOPAS requirements for continued certification:

• Candidates must have been previously certified by an American Board of Medical Specialties member board.
• Candidates must have a valid, unrestricted license to practice medicine in at least one US state. Candidates who only hold a license outside of the U.S. must provide evidence of an unrestricted license from a valid non-U.S. licensing body.
• Candidates must have completed a minimum of 50 hours of continuing medical education (CME) within the past 24 months, provided by a recognized provider of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). CME must be related to one or more of the specialties in which the candidate is applying. Re-entry for physicians with lapsed certification requires 100 hours of CME with the past 24 months. Waived for physicians in or within two years of training.
• For some specialties (ie interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, surgical specialties), candidates must have active privileges to practice that specialty in at least one US hospital licensed by a nationally recognized credentialing organization with deeming authority from CMS (ie Joint Commission, HFAP, DNV).
• A candidate who has had their medical staff appointment/membership or clinical privileges in the specialty for which they are seeking certification involuntarily revoked and not reinstated, must have subsequently maintained medical staff appointment/membership or clinical privileges for at least 24 months in another US hospital licensed by a nationally recognized credentialing organization with deeming authority from CMS (ie Joint Commission, HFAP, DNV).

NBOPAS Board Members:
Paul Teirstein, M.D., President NBOPAS, Chief of Cardiology, Scripps Clinic
John Anderson, M.D., Past President, Medicine and Science, American Diabetes Association, Frist Clinic, Nashville, TN
David John Driscoll, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
Daniel Einhorn, M.D., Immediate-Past President, American College of Endocrinology; Past President, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
Bernard Gersh, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
C. Michael Gibson, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Paul G. Mathew, M.D., FAHS, Director of Continuing Medical Education, Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology
Jordan Metcalf, M.D., Professor and Research Director, Pulm. & Crit. Care, Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center
J. Marc Pipas, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School
Jeffrey Popma, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Harry E. Sarles Jr., M.D., FACG, Immediate Past President for the American College of Gastroenterology
Hal Scherz, M.D., Chief of Urology- Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital, Assoc Clinical Professor of Urology Emory University
Karen S. Sibert, M.D., Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Secretary, California Society of Anesthesiologists
Gregg W. Stone, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Eric Topol, M.D., Chief Academic Officer, Scripps Health; Director, Scripps Translational Science Institute
Bonnie Weiner, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Mathew Williams, M.D., Chief, Division of Adult Cardiac Surgery, New York University Medical Center

Sincerely,

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