Engaging Physicians in Improvement Priorities Through the American Board of Medical Specialties Portfolio Program

Physician involvement in quality improvement and patient safety (QIPS) work is critical for success. It is often difficult to engage physicians in this work given competing priorities and lack of individual benefits for participation.

The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Portfolio Program was created to establish a systematic process for review and approval of health care organizations' implementation of QIPS work and that allows organizations to offer continuing certification credit to physicians who meaningfully engage in that same work. What started as a pilot program in 2010 between Mayo Clinic and the American Boards of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics has grown to include more than 100 organizations in 2024.

The Portfolio Program has expanded from academic medical centers and medical schools to include government agencies, hospital groups, associations, and other types of health organizations. It has provided credit for more than 5,000 activities, and credit has been issued to physicians more than 60,000 times. To make QIPS submissions easier, standardized templates were created for certain types of quality improvement work; for example, the COVID-19 template facilitated the awarding of continuing certification credit to more than 10,000 physicians.

The ABMS Portfolio Program helps organizations establish a framework around QIPS work so physicians can receive continuing certification credit for their engagement. It also provides structure to establish processes and procedures for awarding credit and is flexible enough to meet the needs of each organization.