AOA vs. ABIM: Introducing the lawsuit

Why does the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) have to go to court to fight the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) over its policy about directors of internal medicine training programs? AOA President Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN, discusses some recent history about the unification of osteopathic and allopathic medical education in the United States through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, and the recent change that is hurting the career options for osteopathic physicians — and ultimately patient care.

Medical Economics: Recently, the AOA filed a lawsuit against the American Board of internal medicine. Can you explain that lawsuit and why it had it had to be filed?

Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN: I think some history is good in this, in that in 2015 after, even prior to that, the AOA and the ACGME entered into negotiations about streamlining graduate medical education. And in 2015, we had a unified system whereas all the osteopathic-only residency programs entered into the ACGME ((the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education)) system for a single unified system. At the time all the ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties) member boards agreed to allow AOA board-certified physicians function as program directors to attest to the certification and completion of residents, and that happened without problems for approximately seven years. Then all of a sudden ABIM on their own, decided that this was no longer adequate, that their program directors in ABIM programs and sub-specialties had to be ABIM certified. So, after we engaged in substantive and direct discussions with the American Board of Internal Medicine representatives, and despite good-faith conversations between AOA leaders and the ABIM representatives, they refused to eliminate this unlawful policy. Following a comprehensive evaluation of available options, the AOA leadership reached the unanimous decision that legal action was necessary to protect osteopathic physicians and residency programs. So that’s why we entered into the lawsuit, to really change this unlawful action that ABIM has and, being note, that of the ABMS boards, ABIM is the only one that has this policy.