American Board of Urology to participate in certification maintenance program

The American Board of Urology is among 24 members of the American Board of Medical Specialties that will participate in a Maintenance of Certification program to ensure all board-certified physicians meet the highest standards of patient care and accountability.

The new program is an effort by the boards to switch from a periodic testing schedule (every 6, 7, or 10 years) to a continuous recertification process, according to an ABMS news release.

"The Maintenance of Certification program will be the gold standard in quality medical care, just as certification by an ABMS board has been the benchmark of quality to this point," said Stephen H. Miller, MD, MPH, president and CEO of ABMS. "It focuses on the continuous process of assessment and improvement of a physician over the course of his or her career in medicine, thus ensuring that patients receive the best possible care."

The certification programs focus on six general competencies: patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communications skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. The program includes professional standing, cognitive expertise, lifelong learning and self-assessment, and practice performance.

Each specialty board must submit initial plans for the process by the end of 2004.