Giving Credit to the Medical Economics Journal
It is really easy to criticize and we do a lot of that on this blog. Now it is time to give some credit (to someone else who did the criticizing). The editorial director, Keith L. Martin, of Medical Economics hammered the ABIM in his commentary. The crooked and powerful boards are so repugnant now that everyone is getting in on the mix. Why were this hammered this time? Because they spent tons of money to figure out a NEW soundbite that would convince doctors they need the MOC. Here it is:
The reason physicians need to spend thousands of dollars to take a test on things they often don’t encounter is because patients simply don’t trust them anymore.
Yup, that is their spin. They are using the “fake news” option and the only way to fix it is with, you guessed it, the MOC. Here’s some more from the editorial:
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Bottom line, according to the ABIM: Patients no longer trust their doctors. (Spoiler alert: They trust the internet, word of mouth and their friends instead). Luckily the ABIM is here with a sure-fire solution. By renewing your board certification every 10 years—or through its new two-year option —you will get an “unimpeachable marker of quality and credibility,” according to Baron.
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That’s right. By renewing their board certification, physicians can block out all the noise surrounding patients and provide them a guaranteed way to restore their trust. With a piece of paper saying you took a test. A test patients don’t understand or rarely even ask about.
Martin did a nice job in this piece and ends with “Dr. Baron, physicians are using “real news” to criticize your organization, its work and its value. If you are going to point a finger at patient trust as the main culprit hurting physicians, remember the saying that there are then four fingers pointing back at you.”
Can we please shut these (especially the ABFM) bastards down already?
How many patients were involved in the Inquisitor’s study and from where in the USA. I need to hear more information as I know far too many people with Board Certification that cannot respond to questions related to Diabetes, Cardiology, Radiology and /surgery to name just a few,
It’s a form of extortion based on false premises in both the DO/MD profsssion. If a patient does not trust my 2 doctorates and years of expertise on top of ongoing CME and board certification then I say there is nothing that’s going to convince them. Professional organizations and the government in general need to stop making up rules that only represent serious barriers to healthcare and the Doctor/Patient relationship.
MOC=Making Others Cash.
A century worth of Advertising has taught people that they cannot determine quality. 80% of patients trust THEIR own doctor, but 80% mistrust doctors in general. This correlates with the selling of the Brands. People would once stay at the first motel they found, and eat at a restaurant – now it has to be Motel 6 and Chili’s, or they won’t know what they are getting, they fear.
Expect not only ABIM certification, but MayoApproved doctors and soon, Amazon doctors for housecalls. The ad industry tells people they are ignorant. Finally, they have achieved their goal.
The board certification industry continues in their attempt to remain something other than a cash sucking machine from what they see as greedy, rich, unqualified doctors in private practice. I would ask any American physician to count how many times a patient has inquired about board certification. I’m coming up on 30 years and it may have happened twice.
What ABIM also misses is that patients have lost faith in doctors in an era when most doctors are already board certified?!? If the certification would prevent a loss of faith, why did it occur when we were already certified?
Great point.
Yep, I enjoyed that as well. MOC only means something to those who can make money – the ABFM – or lose money – the rest of us – over this extortion mechanism.