Patients deserve the best care.
To deliver on our commitment to provide the best care possible, physicians must be dedicated to lifelong learning, ensuring we are up-to-date on the latest research, treatment options, and standards of care. Medical knowledge and advancements in care unfold at a rapid pace. Meeting rigorous standards through ABMS continuing board certification (formerly maintenance of certification) makes sure we remain current on the latest innovations and technology.
Certification, patient outcomes, and costs: What the data show
Research demonstrates that board certification is a factor when choosing a doctor. A national 2025 survey of more than 1,500 adults in the United States conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago on behalf of the American Board of Medical Specialties found that 93 percent of respondents said board certification was important to them when choosing a doctor.
The same survey also found that 98 percent of respondents expect their physicians to stay current with the latest medical advances in their specialties; 95 percent expect their physicians to participate in ongoing education and testing to ensure they stay current; and 90 percent believe periodic evaluations of physician knowledge should go beyond earning continuing medical education credits.
Collectively, studies of doctors in certain specialties suggest that physicians who perform well on continuing certification examinations are more likely to provide care resulting in positive patient outcomes, such as better adherence to clinical guidelines; engage in safer prescribing practices; demonstrate the accelerated uptake of new evidence; and provide more efficient and more accurate diagnoses.
Performance on continuing certification examinations is associated with diagnostic accuracy. A 2021 BMJ Open study of 1,410 general internists treating 42,407 patients found approximately 30 percent lower risk of death, emergency department visits, and hospitalization among patients whose physicians ranked in the top third of diagnostic knowledge compared to those in the bottom third, based on diagnosis-related continuing certification questions.
Another study indicates that physicians participating in continuing certification may save $167 per year per Medicare patient compared to physicians not participating, without sacrificing quality. These findings suggest continuing certification may reduce healthcare Medicare costs by up to $5 billion per year.
The accountability data are clear as well. Research across seven ABMS Member Boards consistently shows that physicians participating in continuing certification have lower incident rates of adverse licensure actions. Simply put, physicians who are engaged in the certification process are less likely to face the kind of disciplinary action that puts patients at risk and puts health systems in a difficult position.
This voluntary system created by and for physicians has stood the test of time for one reason: It protects the patients we serve. And for us as physicians, a commitment to lifelong learning and assessment through voluntary continuing board certification also is a marker of professionalism and competency.
Richard E. Hawkins, MD, is president and CEO of the American Board of Medical Specialties. In conjunction with the ABMS Board of Directors, Dr. Hawkins is responsible for creating, planning, and implementing the strategic direction of ABMS, the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. Dr. Hawkins has more than 30 years of professional experience, ranging from his service in the United States Navy as an officer in the Medical Corps to leadership positions at national medical professional associations. Prior to joining ABMS in 2018, he served for five years as the vice president for medical education outcomes at the American Medical Association. Learn more about driving successful patient outcomes, patient choice, and hospital performance.
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