AOA vs. ABIM: Why the change in program director policy?

Why did the American Board of Internal Medicine change its policy about recognition of program director certification for internal medicine? Right now, ABIM has not been able to explain why to the American Osteopathic Associaiton, said AOA President Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN.

Medical Economics: How did the American Board of Internal Medicine come to have the lion's share of market, so to speak, for certification of internal medicine physicians?

Robert G.G. Piccinini, DO, D.FACN: If you look at the single accreditation system, which we entered into 2015, the majority of programs at the time were ABIM. But to answer the question of why, after seven years, they suddenly changed their policy? That's my question, too, because it doesn't seem they've not been able to clearly articulate a transparent or consistent rationale for their policy. I don't have the answer to that. I can tell you, you know, the lion's share as you put it, when we entered into the agreement, they had the majority of programs. But for seven years our AOBIM-certified physicians were high-quality, and they still are high-quality, and adequate to serve in that role. And why they changed, I don't know.