I just came across this.
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ABFAS Fail
- Thread starter lomaric
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I'm curious the implications of this being posted on a lawyer's website. So we're referencing a podiatrytoday article and the author has written at least a couple of articles about our board certification process.
Do you think the above is ...:
to encourage podiatrists to sue ABFAS
or to help lawyers sue podiatrists because not being board certified will make us easier targets (how can he be that good he's not board certified).
or something else
Anyway. Its a pitiful process.
I've been meaning to write something on it but you should see the costs add up if you do ABPM to try and protect yourself or have certified next to your name.
-Paid a fortune for the exam which was the stupidest thing I've ever taken. That exam spells out just what a joke of a profession we can be.
-Pay yearly dues because practice pays for ABFAS, not ABPM
-Pay bullcrap MOC fees to ABPM
-Unless you are a residency faculty or have published an article you have to (a) buy membership to ACPM to do their stupid lectures and then (b) buy more lectures from those douchebag scum at Podiatry Present.
Board certification is just clowns robbing you.
Do you think the above is ...:
to encourage podiatrists to sue ABFAS
or to help lawyers sue podiatrists because not being board certified will make us easier targets (how can he be that good he's not board certified).
or something else
Anyway. Its a pitiful process.
I've been meaning to write something on it but you should see the costs add up if you do ABPM to try and protect yourself or have certified next to your name.
-Paid a fortune for the exam which was the stupidest thing I've ever taken. That exam spells out just what a joke of a profession we can be.
-Pay yearly dues because practice pays for ABFAS, not ABPM
-Pay bullcrap MOC fees to ABPM
-Unless you are a residency faculty or have published an article you have to (a) buy membership to ACPM to do their stupid lectures and then (b) buy more lectures from those douchebag scum at Podiatry Present.
Board certification is just clowns robbing you.
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Test today was really straightforward. Also, assuming I passed....I thought board wizards was incredibly valuable and would recommend. Again, this test does not test your knowledge, it tests if you know how to pass their test.
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like if you’ve ever published an article? Or recently?
I have ABPM cert but do not pay dues for a single professional organization as of right now. Though that will change if those dues become a covered benefit or reimbursable expense in the near future. I’ve published a few articles though. And a textbook chapter. Feel like that should make me a diplomate...
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It should make you the president of ABPM. I think its yearly, but I don't want to guess because I already misinterpreted this. I thought I was going to get out of it because I have a volunteer academic appointment that requires me to attend educational stuff at an orthopedics residency. But now I see its 1/2 time so I won't meet the requirement.
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I honestly don't think there is anything wrong with the ABFAS exams... the "written" is tough but fair. The CBPS can be tricky if you aren't familiar with the format, but that takes all of one day to learn and understand the choices/workup in computer format.
The case review is the insaaaaaaaaaaaaane part. They want records in far more detail and more patient records than any other surgical specialty board. It is such a chore and gives them a million ways to fail you for "missing X note or report," "inadequate pre-op H&P on that patient you brought straight from ER to OR" even if the case was done perfect and turned out perfect. Nearly all other surgical specialties just make you get a certain number of cases (verified simply by hospital logs), and then they give you an oral exam with cases (now maybe most do CBPS for social distance and more standardization?).
This ABFAS thing of case review meaning candidates need to ask past jobs for all notes, dozens of xray screenshots, labs, path, etc etc is tedious and way over the top. That stuff is hard enough to collect if you still work there at that hospital/office and have full EMR access (feels kinda like doing research), but it's basically impossible if you do not work there anymore. You are talking days and days of phone calls and mailed or emailed requests, etc. It is probably much easier for insurance to do their audits. That case review makes plenty of smart, good, busy DPM surgeons fail on case review or have to try the next year. Hospital case logs are quick and easy, and even op reports aren't too tough... but there is just nothing in it for a past employer to spend hours fishing through old records for every last detail, and you obviously can't do it yourself once you have left the place.
And now, we even need consultant reports too... the vast majority of those MDs are employed in a different place and different EMR than you unless maybe you work in large MSG or hospital. So basically, if my TMA went to vascular before/after my surgery, I need that vascular group and doc to give their notes also. If I called ID for antibiotics opinion, I need that note. As if they have time for that... they don't understand why you want/need it years later (esp if you don't work in that area anymore), they don't have time to go find it, it is a HIPAA concern for them, they have to find how to send it securely, etc. It is foreign to them since their boards process doesn't care about the podiatry surgery before the BKA... they just wanted hospital log of BKA and that's all. I don't understand why reasonable approach of hospital case logs and then passing a tough but fair exam is good enough for nearly every other type of surgeon. As it stands, we can be an awesome surgeon who passes tests and does many cases well... yet if we fail in terms of paralegal and auditor skills to subpoena records and quell HIPAA fears from locations X,Y, and Z that we worked at years ago, we fail?
The case review is the insaaaaaaaaaaaaane part. They want records in far more detail and more patient records than any other surgical specialty board. It is such a chore and gives them a million ways to fail you for "missing X note or report," "inadequate pre-op H&P on that patient you brought straight from ER to OR" even if the case was done perfect and turned out perfect. Nearly all other surgical specialties just make you get a certain number of cases (verified simply by hospital logs), and then they give you an oral exam with cases (now maybe most do CBPS for social distance and more standardization?).
This ABFAS thing of case review meaning candidates need to ask past jobs for all notes, dozens of xray screenshots, labs, path, etc etc is tedious and way over the top. That stuff is hard enough to collect if you still work there at that hospital/office and have full EMR access (feels kinda like doing research), but it's basically impossible if you do not work there anymore. You are talking days and days of phone calls and mailed or emailed requests, etc. It is probably much easier for insurance to do their audits. That case review makes plenty of smart, good, busy DPM surgeons fail on case review or have to try the next year. Hospital case logs are quick and easy, and even op reports aren't too tough... but there is just nothing in it for a past employer to spend hours fishing through old records for every last detail, and you obviously can't do it yourself once you have left the place.
And now, we even need consultant reports too... the vast majority of those MDs are employed in a different place and different EMR than you unless maybe you work in large MSG or hospital. So basically, if my TMA went to vascular before/after my surgery, I need that vascular group and doc to give their notes also. If I called ID for antibiotics opinion, I need that note. As if they have time for that... they don't understand why you want/need it years later (esp if you don't work in that area anymore), they don't have time to go find it, it is a HIPAA concern for them, they have to find how to send it securely, etc. It is foreign to them since their boards process doesn't care about the podiatry surgery before the BKA... they just wanted hospital log of BKA and that's all. I don't understand why reasonable approach of hospital case logs and then passing a tough but fair exam is good enough for nearly every other type of surgeon. As it stands, we can be an awesome surgeon who passes tests and does many cases well... yet if we fail in terms of paralegal and auditor skills to subpoena records and quell HIPAA fears from locations X,Y, and Z that we worked at years ago, we fail?
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Nevermind
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I think it's trying to tell patients (their clients) that podiatrists are incompetent, their training is terrible and they should be sued, etc. "A large portion of them can't even pass their own exams!"
Right below their article they state:
Our award-winning lawyers offer free case evaluations to individuals injured by podiatrist malpractice in Baltimore and throughout Maryland. The sooner you call, the sooner we can help you get started on your claim.
I think you are right. I was shocked when I saw this. I don’t even know how we as a profession are suppose to deal with this, and try to show that we are competent when our own profession makes us look bad.
I agree. But if you look through their website they are essentially ambulance chasers and its not just DPMs they are after.
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Start by making our residencies standardize education-wise. Other professions have to take standardized exams to graduate from their residency programs, why not ours?
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Not going to lie, I never thought about things this way. In terms of board certification and getting sued. Of course this person committed malpractice, they aren't even board certified!
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I bet this person was grandfathered into ABFAS certification. Just a hunch...
