ABIM announces initiative to seek input on physician knowledge and skill assessment approaches

Philadelphia, PA, – The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) announces a new initiative to define what competencies physicians will need as the field of medicine continues to evolve and the best ways to measure those competencies. Since 1936, ABIM's mission has been to enhance the quality of health care by certifying internists and subspecialists who demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for excellent patient care.

ABIM Certification represents the highest standard in internal medicine and its 20 subspecialties, and ABIM's accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. As medicine is always evolving, ABIM needs to continuously ensure that its program meets rigorous standards and is also responsive to physician and patient needs.

The ABIM Assessment 2020 initiative seeks to engage physicians, the public and other important stakeholders in helping ABIM think through the future of cognitive assessment in internal medicine and associated subspecialties. ABIM will use feedback from the community, analysis of the latest research in assessment and results from focus groups and surveys to inform future enhancements to ABIM's Certification and Maintenance of Certification programs.

Leading this new initiative is the Assessment 2020 Task Force, which is composed of a broad array of experts from inside and outside the field of medicine, as well as professions related to performance evaluation and assessment.

In support of its goal, ABIM has launched the Assessment 2020 website to solicit public input and provide further details on the work of the task force and information on ABIM assessment innovations currently in development. One of the key features of the website is the Assessment 2020 Blog, which seeks to stimulate conversations among physicians, patients and other stakeholders on a variety of topics related to physician assessment, including patient quality of care, the skills and competencies all physicians should have and how to factor advances in medicine into assessment.

"As the field of medicine continuously evolves, the definition of what it means to be a good doctor also changes," said Dr. Richard J. Baron, President and CEO of ABIM. "We're asking physicians, patients and other stakeholders to help us define what it means to be a good doctor in the 21st century and how we can best evaluate whether doctors are meeting those expectations. We also want to capitalize on new technologies and assessment methodologies to enhance the way we assess physicians."

"ABIM Board Certification is a trusted marker to patients when selecting doctors, and ABIM's obligation is to ensure that our products and programs are relevant and meaningful to both physicians and the public," said Dr. Harlan M. Krumholz, Chair of the Assessment 2020 Task Force and a member of the ABIM Board of Directors. "The best way to do that is for our work to be informed by feedback from patients, our diplomates and other voices in health care delivery. The Assessment 2020 initiative will help us capture those important voices."

For additional information and to provide feedback, visit the Assessment 2020 website at assessment2020.abim.org.

For media inquiries, contact Lorie Slass at 215-399-4005.

About ABIM
For more than 75 years, certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 20 subspecialties and has meant that internists have demonstrated – to their peers and to the public – that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties. For additional updates, follow ABIM on Facebook and Twitter.