new ABPS requirement

[diabeticfootdr]

"The Board of Directors of the American Board of Podiatric Surgery (ABPS) has approved a requirement for doctors who hold ABPS Board Qualified status to log every surgical case they perform while they are Board Qualified. This requirement is for all surgeries performed January 1, 2009 and later.

ABPS has established a web application called Podiatry Logging Service (PLS) for Surgery especially for this purpose. The site will be operated by Podiatry Residency Resource (PRR). You will receive your login ID, password, and instructions by regular mail in early January. There will be no charge to use the service.

PLS is designed to be part of ABPS’s future case credentialing process. If you plan to take the ABPS certification examination(s) in 2009, you will need to enter your cases through your ABPS personal page. You must also enter all cases you perform January 1, 2009 and later in the Podiatry Logging Service. Beginning with the 2010 examination year, you will submit your cases for certification through PLS.

Please defer any questions until you receive your login ID and password. We hope most questions will be answered through the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section in PLS."

Thank you.

Sincerely,


Robert E. Perry
Associate Director-Administration
American Board of Podiatric Surgery



I have a few concerns with this new requirement.

1. The community of interest was not consulted prior to it's implementation. The APMA Young Members Committee, (at least) should have been consulted or call for comments should have been requested.

2. This time consuming requirement requires ALL cases logged, even those not submitted for certification and can be in effect for up to 7 years. In a busy practice, it is ridiculous to expect me to log all my cases like a resident! No other profession does this.

3. The requirement takes effect Jan 1, 2009 (today). But the system is not yet complete. Members won't even received log in information until late January. This will require everyone to "back log" cases, even increasing the workload further. Isn't this putting the "cart in front of the horse"

This is going to be a major pain, and unfortunately, I think completely unnecessary. Any comments?

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[Feli]

It seems like a little much IMO. I was already kinda intimidated by having to compile flawless records on the required cases for presentation.

I agree that it's more time you don't really have if you are trying to start a new job or start your own practice after residency. Hopefully the system will be easy and familiar due to already having used Residency Resource, though.

What I don't totally understand is who verifies the cases people log? When you're a resident, your director ultimately has to approve/verify the cases you log on Podiatry RR, but once you're out practicing and BQ, who validates the PLS cases?

 

[krabmas]

This is total BS.

No other profession does this. From what I have heard the other surgical professions just ask for records from hospitals to verify the cases from the applicants for board certification.

Why when our profession is trying to be lke the others does it then take an assinine (sp?) step back?

 

[NatCh]

I had the same initial reaction, Lee. It seems that every time I turn my head the ABPS changes a little something here or there in their requirements. I got burned the first time around when I thought I had all of my cases ready to present, when lo-and-behold I missed the memo. I was not able to sit for orals when I originally had planned. I should not have waited so long without logging onto their website. Of course when I graduated from Residency not everyone had internet, those who did had dial-up, and only the avant garde had broadband.

Also note that now ALL x-rays must be photographed. I need to call and verify what that means exactly, because I can easily print out the films from my digital machine onto photo paper but I hope they don't want me to snap a pic of the x-ray on my computer monitor with an 8 megapixel Nikon. Doesn't make sense.


Attention 2009 Certification Candidates

Beginning with the 2009 Certification Examination process, ABPS will only accept 8 x 10 glossy photos of images (x-rays, MRI, CT, etc.) submitted as part of the case credentialing presentation. These photos should be taken with a digital camera capable of reproducing image detail and providing a clear, readable image. If you have any questions, please contact John Venson, DPM, Associate Director - Credentials at 415 553 7800 x 113.

The lesson I learned was that even if you think you are doing it right, you'd best verify a couple of times per year because something might have changed. Don't pull a Natch.

 

[NatCh]

It seems like a little much IMO. I was already kinda intimidated by having to compile flawless records on the required cases for presentation.

I agree that it's more time you don't really have if you are trying to start a new job or start your own practice after residency. Hopefully the system will be easy and familiar due to already having used Residency Resource, though.

What I don't totally understand is who verifies the cases people log? When you're a resident, your director ultimately has to approve/verify the cases you log on Podiatry RR, but once you're out practicing and BQ, who validates the PLS cases?

Dude, check it out. It's simple [snicker].

Document 220, pages 11-13:
http://www.abps.org/content/members/pdf/documents/ABPS220.pdf

1. Notarized letters dated within one year of the application deadline from every facility you ever worked at. So if you did a case seven years ago but moved across the country, you must have someone at that facility sign and notarize a letter stating you had privileges seven years ago.

2. Anesthesia records or Circulator's notes from every case

Uyyyyyy.

Deadline is at the end of this month. Let's see if I have the documents right this time!

 

[histreetken]

The amount of detail required is annoying.

 

[NatCh]

The amount of detail required is annoying.

For me it makes my eyes glaze and my head throb.

• The candidate must write the case number in RED ink in the upper right hand corner. Not here, or here, but right about...here.
• The binder must move freely. Not too big, not too small. Juuust right.
• The radiographs must be labeled with a small, white adhesive label. Lettering must not be too small or too big.
• Each radiograph must have a letter of attestation from the Director of Radiology of your facility (i.e., you) attesting that the candidate (i.e., you) did not mess around with the radiograph.
• If the Reviewer has a bad hair day he or she may reject the cases without recourse to the candidate.

Aye god!

 

[jonwill]

It almost seems that these people are not interested in certifying well-trained, quality surgeons as much as they are having an exclusive little club. This is absolutely ridiculous.

Let's play a little game. Suppose that the ABPS dropped everyones certification tomorrow and made everyone go through the certification process from scratch. And of course I'm willing to forget the fact that the majority of those certified by the APBS wouldn't even qualify for certification. Do you think that board certification would be that hard? Is board certification that hard in ANY OTHER surgical specialty? Not long ago, I was working with two vascular fellows, both of which had just received their board certification for gen surg less than a year into their vascular fellowship.

It is a true double standard. We tell our counterparts (MD's) that because of the standardization of our specialty (three year surgical residencies), we are now producing better trained physicians and surgeons than ever before. So following that logic, shouldn't we make board certification easier? This inferiority complex has got to go. We have nothing to prove to anyone.

 

[JCA1]

I'm forming my own club and no one else can be in it. I think all of the subsets and branches of our profession have really set us back. Divide and conquere. Funny thing is, no one has to do it for our profession. We do it ourselves. We are so divided it makes me laugh. The problem is: Some of the hospitals require surgical board certification to perform surgery at their facility. This means no certification...no surgery. This forces podiatrist to do surgeries in the office that shouldn't be done in the office setting. Go right ahead and think "you" are helping podiatry as a whole with respect to other medical professions. Your not! How foolish. Seriously simple thinking. Please! Come up with certification requirements and leave them alone. It changes every year.

 

[NatCh]

Also note that now ALL x-rays must be photographed. I need to call and verify what that means exactly, because I can easily print out the films from my digital machine onto photo paper but I hope they don't want me to snap a pic of the x-ray on my computer monitor with an 8 megapixel Nikon. Doesn't make sense.


Attention 2009 Certification Candidates

Beginning with the 2009 Certification Examination process, ABPS will only accept 8 x 10 glossy photos of images (x-rays, MRI, CT, etc.) submitted as part of the case credentialing presentation. These photos should be taken with a digital camera capable of reproducing image detail and providing a clear, readable image. If you have any questions, please contact John Venson, DPM, Associate Director - Credentials at 415 553 7800 x 113.

Here is a follow-up to my previous question regarding the photo image requirement. Dr. Venson confirmed that printing out a digital image from the office x-ray machine on glossy photo paper would be appropriate, and that one does not need to snap a pic of the image with a digital camera. Thank goodness. Perhaps I was the only person unclear on the explanation of the requirement, because he chuckled at the thought of taking a pic with a hand-held camera. Joke on me. Again.