AOA vs. ABIM: Limiting osteopathic leadership and growth?

A medical training policy by the American Board of Internal Medicine limits leadership opportunities for physicians. It also limits the spread of osteopathic medicine principles even as the profession continues rapid growth in medical education and across the U.S. health care system. American Osteopathic Association President Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN, describes these effects.

Medical Economics: The lawsuit complaint does note, the position as a program director really can become it's important in and of itself, but it also can serve as a training ground in itself for even larger leadership duties down the line. Can you talk about that?

Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN: Yes, I mean it's not unusual for program directors to become department chairs and then potentially faculty at major universities. But I think the most important thing is, you know, at the level of the program chair, you're limiting the osteopathic principles, the philosophy that we're able to bestow because the program chair is a huge source of mentorship to the residents. We’re basically limiting that philosophy, the osteopathic perspective, the osteopathic concepts and practices from really being a valuable mentorship of the next generation of both osteopathic physicians and allopathic physicians. Because we believe in osteopathic medicine, our story is one of whole person care, we look at nutrition and health, we look at many aspects of the person's life that they're going through, things that are really necessary for today's health care environment in the best treatment of our patients. Because when you get right down to it, it's all about the patients, and it's all about the value of osteopathic medicine to the patients and what we can do. You spoke earlier in your intro about our position shortage. Well, you know, you're also limiting the ability of programs starting, if you're limiting the ability of people who can be program directors and saying that our training is not good enough, our boards are not substantive enough to start a new program. If somebody just has AOBIM board certification, they can’t be a program director in a new program. That is limiting the answer to some of the health care crisis that we're facing. Our growth shows that the society at large is picking osteopathic medicine, to become osteopathic physicians, but to treat patients in the osteopathic philosophy. Or else we wouldn't be growing as much as we have been.