AOA vs. ABIM: Real world effects on physicians

The American Board of Internal Medicine policy about internal medicine program directorships is not just a policy on paper. It has real-world influence over the career decisions of osteopathic physicians who want to work as program directors for internal medicine in medical education. American Osteopathic Association President Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN describes these effects.

Medical Economics: Back in 2015, when you touched on that history at the time, it sounded like this policy to really streamline the program recognition and completion, that sounds like a move that AOA supported. Is that accurate?

Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN: Correct. We, at our house of delegates that year voted as an association to enter into this unified system. So it was a decision made at the house of delegates for all our membership.

Medical Economics: Now, what has been the effect for osteopathic physicians working as program directors in training programs for internal medicine?

Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN: Thank you for that question. It's been quite drastic. I mean, we've seen a 93% decrease in ABOIM-certified program directors and internal medicine residency program since 2015. We’ve seen an 82% decrease in AOBIM certified program directors in internal medicine subspecialties. So there has been a significant damage to people taking the boards, but also it's been disruptive to physicians’ individual lifestyles, autonomy. It is forced people who were AOBIM-certified to go back and take ABIM certification. It's not something in the second half, or even in the middle career of your life, that you want to suddenly go back and take us a certifying board. It upended lifestyles. And you know, part of our lawsuit is actually, it's not just the AOA, but there are members that have entered into this that their lives were harmed because of this policy. This has been disruptive to those physicians in their lifestyle, their autonomy, their career paths. It has been up upending and uprooting to these physicians.