Important information regarding the physician verification tool:
- Most diplomates certified prior to 1990 are not required to participate in MOC but are strongly encouraged to do so.
- All ABIM certifications issued in 1990 (1987 for critical care medicine and 1988 for geriatric medicine) and thereafter must be maintained through ABIM's MOC program.
- ABIM's website serves as primary source verification.
- Diplomates are publicly reported as participating in MOC for all certifications as long as they are participating in MOC for one certification area.
- Physicians are publicly reported as inactive if they were once certified by ABIM but now, for non-disciplinary reasons, they no longer have an active medical license in any jurisdiction.
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In other cases of a physician being reported as not certified, the following descriptors are included to provide greater transparency for patients who rely on this information:
- Lapsed will indicate non-disciplinary loss of certification, including not meeting MOC requirements, or voluntary deactivation of certification. Certification may be restored by meeting MOC requirements for the applicable certificate.
- Suspended will indicate a loss of certification due to disciplinary action where there is a defined pathway to restoration of certification.
- Revoked will indicate loss of certification due to disciplinary action for which ABIM has determined that the conduct underlying the sanction does not warrant a defined pathway for restoration of certification at the time of disciplinary sanction.
- Diplomates are not required to maintain underlying certifications to stay certified in subspecialty areas.
- Certification status is updated to this system within 5 days of notification to the physicians. Data elements, such as name changes, are updated in ABIM's records within 24 hours of being processed by ABIM.
- Diplomates who have earned certification through a Qualifying Board may not be required to meet ABIM’s underlying certification requirement.
- If you do not find your physician or they are listed as not certified, they may be certified by another board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Please check www.certificationmatters.org. Additionally, information on Allergy and Immunology, Clinical Laboratory Immunology and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology diplomates can be now found at www.certificationmatters.org.
- The Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine (FPHM) designation was retired in 2023.