MOC requirements modified by ABIM

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http://www.abim.org/news/abim-announces-immediate-changes-to-moc-program.aspx

ABIM is listening and wants to be responsive to your concerns. While ABIM’s Board believes that a more-continuous certification helps all of us keep up with the rapidly changing nature of modern medical practice, it is clear that parts of the new program are not meeting the needs of physicians like yourself.

We got it wrong and sincerely apologize. We are sorry.

As a result, ABIM is taking the following steps:

  • Effective immediately, ABIM is suspending the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice and Patient Safety requirements for at least two years. This means that no internist will have his or her certification status changed for not having completed activities in these areas for at least the next two years. Diplomates who are currently not certified but who have satisfied all requirements for Maintenance of Certification except for the Practice Assessment requirement will be issued a new certificate this year.
  • Within the next six months, ABIM will change the language used to publicly report a diplomate’s MOC status on its website from “meeting MOC requirements” to“participating in MOC.”
  • ABIM is updating the Internal Medicine MOC exam. The update will focus on making the exam more reflective of what physicians in practice are doing, with any changes to be incorporated beginning fall 2015, with more subspecialties to follow.
  • MOC enrollment fees will remain at or below the 2014 levels through at least 2017.
  • By the end of 2015, ABIM will assure new and more flexible ways for internists to demonstrate self-assessment of medical knowledge by recognizing most forms of ACCME-approved Continuing Medical Education.


I can't help but wonder if ABPN will follow soon and learn from this lesson. But there is one comment I want to add to this taken from KevinMD.com;

"I don't want to a buzz kill but . . . 'It remains important for physicians to have publicly recognizable ways – designed by internists — to demonstrate their knowledge of medicine and its practice.' ... They already do. It's called passing their specialty boards, keeping current via continuing education, and practicing great medicine. It's called being a professional. This why CPA's don't have to retake their boards, lawyers don't have to retake the bar exam, and PHD's don't have to defend a doctoral thesis ever again once they earn their distinction. Pride professionalism, and peer oversight assure competence. And docs have additional hoops requiring them to keep up their skills, mandatory CME and hospital/health plan credentialing. Stop it! I don't even have to retake my pilot's test to keep my license."

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I like that KevinMD.com quote.
I used to be a public school teacher years ago. I witnessed first hand the rapid de-professionalization of teachers. It happened the same way. Over the last 20 plus years, school teachers went from being considered educational professionals with lifetime certifications, competent to teach students and hone their craft, to now merely being employees that are limited to teaching only what is on certain standardized exams and now derided in mainstream media. I got out of that scene.
I see this creeping de-professionalization now happening to doctors, but at a slower rate, maybe because doctors have more money and therefore influence. I feel the slow slide from professional to technician occurring for physicians, and it's deja vu all over again.
 
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I like that KevinMD.com quote.
I used to be a public school teacher years ago. I witnessed first hand the rapid de-professionalization of teachers. It happened the same way. Over the last 20 plus years, school teachers went from being considered educational professionals with lifetime certifications, competent to teach students and hone their craft, to now merely being employees that are limited to teaching only what is on certain standardized exams and now derided in mainstream media. I got out of that scene.
I see this creeping de-professionalization now happening to doctors, but at a slower rate, maybe because doctors have more money and therefore influence. I feel the slow slide from professional to technician occurring for physicians, and it's deja vu all over again.

It's funny you bring up the description of 'being a technician'. I had a colleague at the VA that I worked at who was resentful of the environment because he felt that way and didn't feel like he was the leader of a team and directing care, rather getting the tasks done before him on an assembly line because someone could check a box saying that it was complete. He also felt there was no regard for the medical decision making process.
 
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This is good for me. I passed my medicine recertification exam in late 2012 and did all of the MOC CME except for completing the Practice assessment project. I think I will be able to soon call myself a board-certified internist again. I am going to try and recertify in sleep (I am certified through the ABIM) before the end of 2015 (mine expires 2017). hopefully the ABPN will temporarily modify their requirements too.
 
http://www.abim.org/news/abim-announces-immediate-changes-to-moc-program.aspx

ABIM is listening and wants to be responsive to your concerns. While ABIM’s Board believes that a more-continuous certification helps all of us keep up with the rapidly changing nature of modern medical practice, it is clear that parts of the new program are not meeting the needs of physicians like yourself.

We got it wrong and sincerely apologize. We are sorry.

As a result, ABIM is taking the following steps:

  • Effective immediately, ABIM is suspending the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice and Patient Safety requirements for at least two years. This means that no internist will have his or her certification status changed for not having completed activities in these areas for at least the next two years. Diplomates who are currently not certified but who have satisfied all requirements for Maintenance of Certification except for the Practice Assessment requirement will be issued a new certificate this year.
  • Within the next six months, ABIM will change the language used to publicly report a diplomate’s MOC status on its website from “meeting MOC requirements” to“participating in MOC.”
  • ABIM is updating the Internal Medicine MOC exam. The update will focus on making the exam more reflective of what physicians in practice are doing, with any changes to be incorporated beginning fall 2015, with more subspecialties to follow.
  • MOC enrollment fees will remain at or below the 2014 levels through at least 2017.
  • By the end of 2015, ABIM will assure new and more flexible ways for internists to demonstrate self-assessment of medical knowledge by recognizing most forms of ACCME-approved Continuing Medical Education.


I can't help but wonder if ABPN will follow soon and learn from this lesson. But there is one comment I want to add to this taken from KevinMD.com;

"I don't want to a buzz kill but . . . 'It remains important for physicians to have publicly recognizable ways – designed by internists — to demonstrate their knowledge of medicine and its practice.' ... They already do. It's called passing their specialty boards, keeping current via continuing education, and practicing great medicine. It's called being a professional. This why CPA's don't have to retake their boards, lawyers don't have to retake the bar exam, and PHD's don't have to defend a doctoral thesis ever again once they earn their distinction. Pride professionalism, and peer oversight assure competence. And docs have additional hoops requiring them to keep up their skills, mandatory CME and hospital/health plan credentialing. Stop it! I don't even have to retake my pilot's test to keep my license."

We also complete MED school, 3 licensing exams, and yearly CME for our state licenses.
In many other fields, like psychology, there are very few who are board certified, whereas for physicians, it is the new normal.
Ridiculous.
 
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I find that no one has asked the hard question; Who came up with this concept? Was it a hidden gem in ACA? Political pressure from Washington? Simple greed contrived during a 5 martini lunch hour?
 
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The way I see it, stuff like MOC was in development way, way before Obamacare. I think it's a cancerous outgrowth of the overall Quality Management movement that started in business in the 1950s and is now almost a religion for many.
Since one aspect of Quality Management, Quality Assurance in the form of continuing education for physicians, is presented as objectively a Good Thing for patient safety, the concept can be utilized to subjugate physicians and gain power for the ABIM while collecting some money. Anybody that is against such Quality Assurance can be painted as against patient safety. The only reason the ABIM is now backing off is because a critical mass of IM doctors with some influence began to threaten the future cash flow and influence of the ABIM. This kind of revolt is how new boards get formed eventually. The "patient safety" argument the ABIM presented to control the field has partially failed presently because they got a little too greedy, a little too pushy.
 
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They have already backed down a little in psyc MOC with fewer required PIP from 3 to 1 every 10 years. Seems like a money grab to me with lots excuses about Quality Management to make it sound more palatable.
 
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February 10, 2015


Dear Diplomates,


The purpose of this letter is to respond to inquiries from many American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) diplomates concerning the recent communication from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) about changes it plans to make in its Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program. The ABIM has now pledged to engage the internal medicine community in an effort to make its MOC Program more relevant and meaningful for physicians involved in patient care and clinical leadership. While all 24 Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) have agreed to follow its MOC Standards, the specific manner in which those standards are met is largely up to the Member Boards. It is gratifying to note that most of the changes now planned by the ABIM are consistent with policies and practices already in place in the ABPN MOC Program.

At the heart of the ABPN MOC Program are several core beliefs that serve as the foundation for our specific requirements.

The ABPN believes that the vast majority of its diplomates already pursue life-long learning. The main tasks for the ABPN MOC Program are to support the ongoing professional development of our diplomates and to reinforce and document their life-long learning efforts in a manner consistent with the expectations of outside organizations and the public.

The ABPN believes in a collaborative approach to MOC. We work very closely with our related professional societies like the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Neurology, and virtually every subspecialty society. We encourage those societies to develop relevant MOC products for their members and we have a streamlined process in place for the review and approval of those products. We also recommend that societies provide those MOC products to their members for free or at reduced cost, and many societies have recently followed our recommendations.

The ABPN believes that it must avoid any potential conflict of interest in its MOC Program. We develop no MOC products other than the MOC examinations, and we depend upon our professional societies for the development of MOC products for self-assessment, CME, and performance improvement.

The ABPN believes that its MOC requirements must not place an onerous burden on diplomates. As a result of recent feedback from diplomates, we significantly reduced the self-assessment and performance improvement requirements for diplomates in our 10-Year MOC Program. We also recently made a decision to give 3 years of MOC credit to diplomates who have completed accredited subspecialty training and passed our subspecialty certification examinations.

The ABPN believes that it is crucial to allow diplomates to select the specific MOC products that best fit their needs for self-assessment, CME, and performance improvement. We have never required that diplomates complete specific MOC activities that are not relevant to their own practices. With the flexibility afforded in the new 2015 ABMS MOC Standards, we recently expanded the range of options available for diplomates to meet its self-assessment and feedback requirements.

The ABPN believes that it is important to recognize and give diplomates MOC credit for what they do already. We know that many diplomates work in organizations requiring quality improvement and feedback activities that are very similar to our MOC requirements, and we want to recognize those diplomate activities.

The ABPN believes that the vast majority of diplomates should be able to pass its MOC examinations. All of our MOC examinations are clinically relevant and have reasonable passing standards. To date more than 95% of diplomates have passed our MOC examinations, and diplomates are given two chances to pass an MOC examination before their certification is rescinded.

The ABPN believes that it must only report whether or not diplomates have met its MOC requirements. While we encourage diplomates with “life-time” certificates to participate in MOC, we also maintain our covenant with them by being clear that they are not required to do so. We also recently modified our requirements to make it easier for our "life-time" diplomates to enter our Continuous MOC Program should they choose to do so.

The ABPN believes that diplomate attestation and random audit are acceptable methods to document their performance in MOC. We never require diplomates to submit any MOC or practice data to the ABPN.

The ABPN believes that its MOC fees must be reasonable. We carefully review MOC fees annually. Fees in our 10-Year MOC Program were reduced 25% in 2008, another 6% in 2009, and will be reduced another 7% in 2016. All total, MOC fees will have been reduced 34% since 2007 and are at a level significantly below the average for all Member Boards.

While the ABPN recognizes that its MOC Program is continuously evolving, we are planning no other changes in our MOC requirements at this time. The ABPN is continually looking for more ways to improve its relevance and flexibility and to reduce the burden it places on our busy diplomates. As we have done in the past, we welcome any constructive recommendations in that regard. Our sincere hope is that the ABPN can be seen by diplomates as an important ally that can help them to document their life-long learning for their patients and those organizations who license, credential, and pay for their services. We commit to doing all we can to make that hope a reality.

Sincerely,

INBOX%3E25342


Larry R. Faulkner, M.D.

President and CEO

ABPN
 
More like:
"Dear Diplomates,
F--- you. I will continue to make a seven figure salary, and all of you will pay for it.
Sincerely,
Larry"
 
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Board is a joke. Used to mean prestige and dedication to excellence. Now we've got the equivalent to 'everyone is a winner and with a trophy'!
 
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You can't push continuous MOC as a crucial patient safety issue for new docs and defend lifetime certification for old ones...there is no intellectual honesty in that stance. These boards are nothing but a chance for those who run them to increase their power
 
So, now I'm getting e-mails for a new 'board' certification - Did anyone else?

Teirstein, Paul S. MD <[email protected]>
10:15 AM (1 hour ago)

ABIM’s recent announcement to suspend the part IV requirements is a step in the right direction but it is only a small step. The onerous medical knowledge modules and recertification exams remain. Now, more than ever, is the time to show your support of the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS.org) alternative certification program by applying for certification. We now have hundreds of applications and the application rate has tripled since ABIM’s apology last week. The NBPAS formal response to ABIM’s announcement is attached.

NBPAS HAS NOW EXPANDED CERTIFICATION TO ALMOST ALL NON-SURGICAL ABMS BOARDS.

To apply, go to www.NBPAS.org Have your medical license number and a single PDF containing evidence of at least 50 hours of CME over the past 24 months. The whole application process will take you ten minutes at most.

Thank you for your support.

NOTE, THIS IS MY WORK EMAIL SO PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS TO [email protected] (not this email). I will see the questions there. Also, be sure to look at the FAQs on the website. I have answered many or your questions in the FAQs.

Paul

Paul Teirstein, M.D.
Scripps Clinic
10666 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, CA 92037
Office: 858 554 9905
 
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If NBPAS is accepted by insurance panels and hospitals, and is less onerous than the ABPN I would probably be interested. Is it legit? I didn't google it yet, I'm in between patients.
 
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I'm not afraid to call these people what they are- con artists. I wouldn't **** on these people if they were on fire.
 
If NBPAS is accepted by insurance panels and hospitals, and is less onerous than the ABPN I would probably be interested. Is it legit? I didn't google it yet, I'm in between patients.
....and there are secret backroom deals to be had with these 'organizations' and insurance companies citing that all members must be board certified.

I need an Illuminati smiley...
 
Just sharing below links and info which may shed some light on some of the questions posed in this thread. These links were found mainly through casual internet browsing, so are not necessarily a full, complete, or balanced commentary on the situation, I just thought I’d share what I had come across.

Also, from my internet browsing – as best I can tell, the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons is an “alternate board” that was started more-or-less as a “protest” against the traditional boards (esp ABIM) and their MOC processes. It’s still not clear if this alternate certification will hold weight, but I get the impression the idea was that if enough people said “No MOC for me!” maybe someone would have to listen to them. Given that the ABIM has issued their recent statement, it would appear to me this idea is working and the traditional boards are nervous/scared. I myself am thinking of signing up for the NBPAS because why not start making a statement to the ABPN as well – if enough psychiatrists sign up, ABPN might get nervous, too. (And, maybe/hopefully the NBPAS will come to be seen as a legitimate alternative – but I do think it’s too early to say for sure. And besides, why not have *two* board certifications (at least for now – ABPN & NBPAS) instead of just one – the idea amuses me a bit…)


ABIM on MOC: 'We Got It Wrong'
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/839178

“The protest against MOC started with a petition drive led by Paul Teirstein, MD, chief of cardiology and director of interventional cardiology for Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California. The effort has morphed into an alternative certification process under the rubric of the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS), of which Dr Teirstein is now president.

In an NBPAS statement, he said, "[The] press release by the ABIM is clearly a step in the right direction.... However, it must be stressed that the changes disclosed today are only a very partial, incomplete fix. The remaining MOC requirements are still onerous, not clinically relevant and too expensive — and no adjustments to the price structure has been announced.


MOC Critics Offer an Alternative for Board Certification
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/838188

“Cost is $169 for 2-year certification, no matter the number of specialties, NBPAS says. The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) lists recertification costs of $2000 to $2500 over the course of 10 years. The NBPAS website says the application takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

Will Qualifying Bodies Accept It?

However, the value of the new option is unclear. Currently, some hospitals and insurers require physicians to pass MOC, and some physicians see not certifying as a threat to job security.

“This is a grassroots movement which will grow in acceptance relatively rapidly," Dr Stone said. "I state that because of the widespread outpouring of support we've received" for an alternative to MOC.

He said he is confident that the numbers of supporters will change demands of certification. In the press release, Dr Teirstein notes that more than 20,000 physicians have signed an online anti-MOC petition.

"It will be very important that we do establish that a widespread number of hospitals and insurers recognize this alternative method of board certification," Dr Stone said. "I think having societies behind the alternative board...and most importantly tens of thousands of providers behind an alternative to the standard MOC process, will be quite convincing to the qualifying bodies."

He says the requirements for the new certification will demonstrate lifelong learning after original certification, but with less cost and time.


National Board of Physicians and Surgeons Website:
https://nbpas.org/

Sample Letter to Colleagues (about the NBPAS):
https://nbpas.org/sample-letter-to-colleagues/

Sample Letter to Credentials Committee, MEC, Chief of Staff, administrators, or insurers:

https://nbpas.org/sample-letter/


And here are some blog posts by a guy named “Dr. Wes” that relate to the whole MOC situation. Granted, he is presenting a particular view, but he seems to include lots of links to primary sources of info (including the ACA law – in response to someone’s question above. Yes, the ACA is involved in all of this. I haven’t read it thoroughly but I have the sense it has to do with how well CMS will reimburse doctors [or maybe even whether they’ll reimburse them at all?], similar to the EHR / “meaningless use” nonsense.)

(Dr. Wes): The Effects of Maintenance of Certification and Crony Capitalism
http://drwes.blogspot.com/2014/07/the-effects-maintenance-of.html

(Dr. Wes): Slow Down on Creating Alternate MOC Pathways
http://drwes.blogspot.com/2015/01/slow-down-on-creating-alternate-moc.html
(This one has links / references to NEJM articles about the MOC controversy…)

(Dr. Wes): Some Thoughts on the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons
http://drwes.blogspot.com/2015/01/some-thoughts-on-national-board-of.html

(Dr. Wes): ABIM Pleads for Mercy
http://drwes.blogspot.com/2015/02/abim-pleads-for-mercy.html


Video: A Physician's experience with onerous MOC.
“(Or, how to lose part of your life you will never get back.) Juliette Madrigal-Dersch, MD speaks out about the counterproductive Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements she endured at the expense of time spent with patients in need of medical care. Presented on May 17, 2013 in Columbus, OH.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRWim3DiSQE
 
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http://www.abim.org/news/abim-announces-immediate-changes-to-moc-program.aspx

I can't help but wonder if ABPN will follow soon and learn from this lesson. But there is one comment I want to add to this taken from KevinMD.com;

"I don't want to a buzz kill but . . . 'It remains important for physicians to have publicly recognizable ways – designed by internists — to demonstrate their knowledge of medicine and its practice.' ... They already do. It's called passing their specialty boards, keeping current via continuing education, and practicing great medicine. It's called being a professional. This why CPA's don't have to retake their boards, lawyers don't have to retake the bar exam, and PHD's don't have to defend a doctoral thesis ever again once they earn their distinction. Pride professionalism, and peer oversight assure competence. And docs have additional hoops requiring them to keep up their skills, mandatory CME and hospital/health plan credentialing. Stop it! I don't even have to retake my pilot's test to keep my license."

I had seen this quote over on Kevin MD myself. I thought it made quite a good point. Later, I got to thinking that it makes an EVEN BETTER POINT than I was initially thinking - passing the bar is what someone has to do to be allowed to practice law, correct? I think our medical analogy would be passing all steps of the USMLE (and getting one's real, permanent [non-training] license), correct? So, "board certification" is like an extra step that a lot of professions don't have to deal with anyway.
 
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I wanted to bury this question into a thread like this:
Are most of you that are out practicing board certified because you had to be for some reason, i.e. academics?
I've been out in practice for several years now, and still have yet to get it done, and looking at career trajectory, will probably not do it because it has no bearing on my practice. Just wanted you guys' $0.02 on it.
 
I wanted to bury this question into a thread like this:
Are most of you that are out practicing board certified because you had to be for some reason, i.e. academics?
I've been out in practice for several years now, and still have yet to get it done, and looking at career trajectory, will probably not do it because it has no bearing on my practice. Just wanted you guys' $0.02 on it.

It's good you've been able to avoid it. Many hospital systems and insurance companies require it. Keep up the good work living off the grid!
 
Update; APA just sent a formal letter to the ABPN calling for the elimination of Part IV from MOC.
Which make good sense to me!
 
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Still Kickin' already nailed the link list. Those are all bookmarked to be shoved down a few throats on my computer as well.

Here's another gem: http://www.medtees.com/content/ABMSBoardMemberSalary.pdf

All these asshats don't even practice medicine anymore It's the ratchet effect, Pournelle's Iron Law, and simple greed in effect.

Also, can anyone tell me how these guys, NBME, etc. do not qualify as a gang under RICO? Because as far as I can tell they meet every legal requirement. And no, I'm not joking.

I think we have enough people to bring a class-action suit. Anyone married to a lawyer?
 
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So it looks like the ABPN is blaming the ABMS for this whole MOC fiasco. Hmm, someone should investigate the ABMS's financial background. BTW, they're taking comments on our feelings about MOC.
 
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Dear Physician Diplomate:
For the past century, ABMS Board Certification has been a hallmark of professional trust and it remains so today. The need to demonstrate professionalism, lifelong learning, assessment, patient safety, and quality improvement – the values that Board Certification and Maintenance of Certification (MOC) represent – are more important today than ever.
That is why the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) remains fully committed to all elements of MOC.
As Board Certified physicians, each of us wants our profession to remain highly-regarded and trusted. We recognize the importance of self-regulation in maintaining that standing. Ensuring the continuation of these values is our collective responsibility to our colleagues, the profession and the public we serve.
ABMS works with our 24 specialty Member Boards to ensure that the value and relevance of MOC are translated into day-to-day physician practices. Each specialty board develops its MOC processes based on their medical practice environment. Recently, concerns have been raised regarding parts of the MOC process and its implementation. This feedback is valuable and we, in conjunction with our Member Boards, continue to improve the MOC process. In fact, it is such an important component of our continuous improvement effort that we created a venue for you to share feedback directly with us. We hope you will do so by using this link. We also encourage you to engage in a constructive dialogue with your Board or specialty society about these issues.
This is our profession and these are our standards. Together, we will ensure that Board Certification continues to matter to our profession and to our patients.
Sincerely,
Lois Margaret Nora, MD, JD, MBA
President and Chief Executive Officer
American Board of Medical Specialties
 
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They say they encourage feedback at: https://abms.wufoo.com/forms/w1tla9k30etdufz/ I let them have it good, but I'm sure they are well defended with narcisism and intelectualization.

Yes, e-mail them so they can collect the names of those who dissent. That's the paranoia speaking... ;)

The only way to show disapproval is not to play into their game and not pay them anything.
 
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Yes, e-mail them so they can collect the names of those who dissent. That's the paranoia speaking... ;)

The only way to show disapproval is not to play into their game and not pay them anything.
Its not paranoia if it's true. Lol
I agree - as long as they are rolling in our board fee money, they will just do whatever they want and call it essential for patient safety. I'm gonna sign up with the NBPAS and hope that gets large enough to matter. Money talks.
 
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Its not paranoia if it's true. Lol
I agree - as long as they are rolling in our board fee money, they will just do whatever they want and call it essential for patient safety. I'm gonna sign up with the NBPAS and hope that gets large enough to matter. Money talks.

Suggestions on how to manage hospitals and insurance companies who 'require' it?
 
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