A physician’s ability to obtain and maintain board certification can affect employment, hospital privileges, insurance credentialing, and years of professional advancement. An approaching board-eligibility deadline, disputed examination result, or disciplinary inquiry can place that physician’s career in jeopardy—even after years of successful training and practice.
Our firm assists physicians in dealings and disputes with medical specialty boards, including the 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). Our practice extends beyond defending allegations of wrongdoing. We also help physicians navigate certification requirements, seek extensions and exceptions, and address circumstances that threaten their ability to become or remain board certified.
Board Eligibility, Examination Issues, and Continuing Certification
Physicians do not always fit neatly within a specialty board’s prescribed timelines and requirements. Interruptions in training, personal or medical circumstances, examination difficulties, and other obstacles can threaten board eligibility or continued certification. We assist clients in presenting requests for extensions of board eligibility, additional opportunities to satisfy examination requirements, reinstatement of eligibility, and exceptions or reconsideration where available under the applicable board’s policies.
We also represent physicians facing issues involving certification examinations, Maintenance of Certification (MOC), continuing certification, and longitudinal assessments, including ABIM’s Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA). These matters may concern examination eligibility, invalidated results, disputed assessment requirements, alleged improper assistance or disclosure of examination content, and other questions affecting a physician’s certification status.
Investigations and Disciplinary Matters
An inquiry from a specialty board requires careful attention from the outset. Allegations involving examination conduct, professionalism, application disclosures, or actions taken by a licensing authority or hospital can lead to consequences extending beyond the original issue.
We assist physicians in responding to inquiries, preparing written submissions, addressing potential sanctions, and pursuing available reconsideration, hearing, or appeal procedures. We advocate against unsupported findings and, where appropriate, for a proportionate resolution that accounts for the individual circumstances. We remain mindful throughout of the physician’s broader professional interests and the need to preserve the record for potential judicial review.
Experience Across Medical Specialties
Our work encompasses board-eligibility extensions, LKA and other assessment issues, disciplinary matters, certification examination disputes, and the other difficulties physicians encounter in obtaining and maintaining certification. Each board has its own requirements and procedures; our approach combines experience with these recurring issues and close attention to the particular board’s rules.
In addition to our substantial experience representing physicians in matters involving the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), we have recently achieved positive results for clients in matters involving the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (ABOHNS), American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), American Board of Radiology (ABR), and American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA). These matters reflect the breadth of our specialty-board practice and our ability to advocate for physicians at different stages of the certification process.
If a specialty-board requirement, decision, or investigation threatens your professional progress, contact our attorneys to discuss how we can assist.
