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Complete your MOC requirements by 12/31/24 to avoid a change in certification status Expand/Collapse the ABIM alert.

Sign in to your Physician Portal to view any remaining requirements for the year. Not completing these requirements by 12/31/24 could result in a change to “Not Certified” for one or more certificates.

ABIM Scheduled Maintenance Expand/Collapse the ABIM alert.

ABIM.org will be going through scheduled maintenance from 10:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET on Sat., 12/21/24. During this time, the ABIM Physician Portal will be unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your patience.

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How patient health benefits from ABIM Certification

image of physician and patient

What is a Board Certified Physician?

Board certification is a way for a doctor to show they have the knowledge, expertise, and skills to provide high quality care to patients. Although board certification is voluntary, ABIM Board Certification is recognized globally as signifying excellence in the practice of internal medicine and its subspecialties.

Physicians with this certification have proven they’re committed to life-long learning by passing rigorous knowledge assessments, which have been correlated to better patient outcomes. Approximately one out of four practicing physicians nationwide is certified by ABIM.*



Why trust your care to a Board Certified Physician?

Research published in peer-reviewed journals, shows that when patients are cared for by a board certified physician, they have a number of better health outcomes, including:

  • Lower rates of mortality
  • Fewer visits to the emergency department
  • Fewer hospitalizations
  • Better physician-patient relationships that lead to clearer treatment guidelines and preventative planning.

Learn more about these studies in our research center. 

What does a doctor do to become Board Certified by ABIM?

Your physician needs to complete a rigorous set of requirements to earn ABIM certification, including:

Checkmark Finishing medical school

Checkmark Completing a residency or fellowship program

Checkmark Evaluation from training director or hospital chief

Checkmark Acquiring a license to practice medicine

Checkmark Passing a certification test

Is Your Doctor Maintaining Board Certification?

certificate graphic with a link to the verify physician page

Medicine changes rapidly, requiring doctors to stay current in the diagnosis and treatment of patients in order to provide high-quality care. By participating in ABIM's Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program, doctors demonstrate their commitment to the highest standards of care.†

After your physician has earned their certificate, they must participate in ABIM’s MOC program to stay certified. The program includes participating in relevant educational activities, as well as periodic knowledge assessments in their discipline to affirm their medical knowledge is current.

You can check the certification of any ABIM certified physician using our Verification of Certification tool on our website.

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