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Board Certification — What It Means and Why You Should Care

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Submitted by Twin City Plastic Surgery

The majority of people seeking a physician, no matter the reason, assume that the man or woman they select is qualified to practice medicine. What exactly does that mean?

In order to practice medicine in the United States, physicians must be licensed in the state in which they work. In order to become licensed, they must have attended medical school, performed a post-graduate residency, and passed an exam.

However, most physicians today are considered specialists, even if the specialty is something that seems general, such as family practice.

Because of the increase in specialization, board certification was developed to set practice standards and to ensure that doctors were well qualified to provide care in their chosen specialty.

What is Board Certification?
According to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), Board-Certified physicians voluntarily meet additional stringent standards beyond basic licensing. It’s a four-part process that focuses on life-long learning by physicians in the specialty they choose. The four parts include licensure and professional standing, lifelong learning and self-assessment, cognitive expertise, and practice performance assessment. To maintain Board Certification, a physician must remain active in the latest advances in his or her specialty and demonstrate best practices for patient safety, communications, and ethics. Board Certification is independent of the government and does not change from state to state.

What does Board Certification mean to me?
Board Certification is one way to protect you — the patient. People may not realize that most states, including Illinois, do not have any laws that prevent doctors from practicing outside of their field. In addition, anyone who has a medical license can call themself a surgeon — even with no formal training in surgery. Plastic surgery, for example, is a specialty that may have physicians from outside their specialty performing cosmetic procedures. You may have read about damaged facial muscles, botched surgeries, and unnecessary complications from procedures being performed by physicians who do not have the proper training. While these examples may be extreme, even seemingly simple procedures, such as Botox, can have poor results when done by a physician that perhaps only took a training class.

There are currently 24 ABMS board certificates, which also includes many subspecialty certificates. For example, the American Board of Internal Medicine includes 19 subspecialties, ranging from cardiology to oncology to sports medicine. It may surprise you to know that cosmetic surgery is not one of the 24 ABMS Boards. There is a non-ABMS American Board of Cosmetic Surgery that certifies doctors of various specialties, however, training requirements are less than those attained by ABMS Board-Certified plastic surgeons like the doctors of Twin City Plastic Surgery. While cosmetic surgical procedures — such as liposuction, breast augmentation, tummy tucks, and facelifts are an important component of plastic surgery, a cosmetic surgeon is not necessarily the same thing as a board-certified plastic surgeon.

It’s important for people to know the difference, especially in this age of social media where the consumer may be getting information on aesthetic surgery services via advertising on Instagram or Facebook.

How do I find out if my physician is Board Certified?
The American Board of Medical Specialties lists four ways to determine if a physician is board certified:

  • Check online by going to www.certificationmatters.com and entering the name, city, state, zip code, and specialty of the physician.
  • Call the ABMS toll-free at 1-866-ASK-ABMS.
  • Request a written verification of a physician’s Board Certification by contacting the Member Board in the doctors’ specialty at www.certificationmatters.org/abms-member-boards.
  • Check the latest edition of “The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists,” available in many medical and public libraries.

Just as you select a physician based on who accepts your medical plan, recommendations from friends, office location, and reputation, so must you select him or her based on their qualifications — and “M.D.” at the end of their name doesn’t automatically mean they’re qualified to treat you for your specific condition. Some physicians choose to not pursue board certification and this does not necessarily mean they are less qualified. Do your homework. Ask questions. Do research. Check your physician’s qualifications. A physician who is Board Certified in the specialty you’re seeking is your best assurance that he or she has the knowledge, experience, and skills to provide quality healthcare within a given specialty.

The board-certified plastic surgeons at Twin City Plastic Surgery bring you the latest procedures and newest technologies, along with the attentive care and comfort you deserve. For more information on any procedure, you may contact Dr. Laura Randolph — 309-664-6222, Dr. Chad Tattini — 309-664-1007, or Dr. Paige Holt — 309-664-4444 at Twin City Plastic Surgery or www.twincityplasticsurgery.com. Their office is located at 2502 E. Empire in Bloomington.