Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2025
Preparation and Pathogen Inactivation of Double Dose Buffy Coat Platelet Products using the INTERCEPT Blood System
Published on: December 7, 2012
The $12 Billion Board Certification Process: Examination Characteristics, Revenues, and Expenditures
Manjot Singh1, Brian McCrae1, Joseph E Nassar1
1Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, Providence, RI.
Insights
Physician board certification through the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) costs nearly $3 billion initially and $9 billion for continuing certification. This study details the financial aspects of physician credentialing.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Healthcare Economics
- Physician Certification
Background:
- Over 90% of U.S. physicians hold board certification.
- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) sets standards for physician certification.
- A comprehensive analysis of the costs associated with board certification has been lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively describe the process of initial and continuing physician board certification.
- To quantify the associated costs of the ABMS certification system.
- To analyze the financial outcomes of the board certification process.
Main Methods:
- Extracted population-level data of active diplomates from ABMS reports.
- Gathered examination characteristics for initial and continuing certification from member board websites.
- Analyzed financial data (revenue, expenditures, assets, liabilities) from IRS Form 990s for ABMS member boards.
Main Results:
- Physician active and continuous certification increased by 14% and 33% (2016-2023).
- Initial certification averaged 6 hours, 300 questions, costing $2,942 with an 89% pass rate.
- Continuing certification averaged $263 annually with a 93% pass rate.
- Total estimated costs: $2.9 billion for initial and $9.1 billion for continuing certification.
- ABMS boards generated $47 million surplus and an $839 million net balance in 2022.
Conclusions:
- Physician board certification represents a significant financial undertaking, costing billions over a career.
- The ABMS certification system generates substantial revenue and net balances for member boards.
- Further research is recommended to assess the value and utility of the board certification system.
Background:
Over 90% of U.S. physicians are currently board certified. Although the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has established standards for physicians to acquire and maintain board certification, a comprehensive description of this process and its associated costs has not been performed.
Methods:
Population-level data of currently active diplomates was extracted from published ABMS reports. Examination characteristics of the initial and continuing certification process were extracted from each member board website. Revenue, expenditures, liabilities, and assets of each board for the latest tax year were extracted from published IRS Form 990s.
Results:
Between 2016 to 2023, the number of physicians with active and continuous certification increased by 14% and 33%, respectively. Initial certification had a mean of 300 questions over 6 hours, an 89% pass rate, and a cost of $2,942. Continuous certification had a mean of 49 questions with 4 minutes per question, a 93% pass rate, and a cost of $263 annually. Total industry costs were estimated as $2,908,864,254 for initial certification and $9,101,324,085 for continuing certification. For the tax year 2022, this certification process generated $47 million in surplus and yielded $839 million net balance for all ABMS member boards.
Conclusions And Relevance:
ABMS board certification costs nearly $3 billion for initial certification and an additional $9 billion for continuing certification for currently practicing physicians over their careers. Ongoing research should evaluate the utility of the board certification system and explore ways to add value to this process.
Related Concept Videos
01:23Methods of Documentation V: CBE
In CBE, healthcare professionals establish predefined standards of practice that define what constitutes...
01:30Health Information Technology and Healthcare Information System
Health Information Technology, commonly called HIT, integrates advanced information systems and technology in healthcare settings. Its primary functions include:
01:18Types of Records II: Educational and Administrative Records
00:59Hospitals-II
Nurses that work in...
01:30National Nursing Organizations II
The AACN emphasizes a healthy work environment through six standards to achieve an optimal patient outcome. The standards are appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, collaboration, authentic leadership, effective communication, and decision-making. In addition, AACN provides certification programs, webinars, journals, and...
01:05Quality Control
Quality control helps track data, visualize trends, and identify variations, making it easier to detect deviations that may affect the accuracy of an analysis. One way to do this is by generating a quality control chart, which...