The American Board of Pain Medicine (ABPM) was founded in 1991 as the "American College of Pain Medicine". [1] The name was changed in 1994 to be more congruent with the nomenclature of other medical specialty boards. The mission of the American Board of Pain Medicine is to improve the quality of pain medicine. [2]
The following is a list of goals: [2]
The following is a list of objectives: [2]
ABPM administers a psychometrically-developed and practice-related examination in the field of pain medicine to applicants who have met requirements for qualification. Physicians who have successfully completed the ABPM credentialing process and examination are issued certificates as specialists in the field of pain medicine and designated as "Diplomates of the American Board of Pain Medicine". A list of currently certified ABPM Diplomats is available to medical organizations and other groups for dissemination to the public. [3]
The ABPM is not a recognized board by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). It allows non- fellowship trained physicians, as well as those who completed unaccredited fellowships to become "board certified" by them. This is in contrast to the certificate issued to those who have completed an American Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited fellowships which has national standards, and are regulated by the ABMS.[ citation needed]
Another initiative of ABPM is to develop a full–fledged pain medicine residency training program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.[ citation needed]
The American Board of Pain Medicine eliminated lifetime certification in 1998. [2] Certificates issued after 1998 expire after 10 years, creating a 10-year recertification cycle. Concurrently, ABPM created the American Board of Pain Medicine MOC (Maintenance of Certification) program. [4]
California [5] and Florida [6] recognize ABPM certification as equivalent to an American Board of Medical Specialties certification for advertising purposes, thereby permitting ABPM diplomates to represent themselves as "Board Certified" in pain medicine.