ABIM Blog (05/18/23)

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) will start offering a Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) Certification Exam next year. "Offering the initial Certification Exam annually expands access for physicians entering the HPM workforce, and ensures that greater numbers of patients also will have access to board-certified physicians who have made the commitment to keeping their knowledge of the field current," said Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee Chair Laura Dingfield, MD, MSEd, FAAHPM. The exam will help address a steady surge of diplomates since the administration of the first Certification Exam in 2008. American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Board of Directors President Holly Yang, MD, HMDC, FACP, FAAHPM, said the new exam "will help our newly graduating fellows become board certified without delay," adding that it "recognizes the growth of our field, as HPM was the fifth largest subspecialty by number of filled positions in the fellowship match in both 2021 and 2022." The number of physicians taking the initial HPM Certification Exam more than doubled from 2010 to 2012. Since then, that number has been sustained at 250-300 physicians a year. Diplomates from another five Qualifying Boards may gain HPM certification through ABIM. Enrollment for all ABIM Certification and Maintenance of Certification evaluations begins December 1.

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