Maintenance of Certification’s Value to Patients and Physicians

To The Editor The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has an outsized influence as the arbiter of internal medicine physician quality, given the alternatives of minimal state regulations, spotty insurance-based estimates, and random patient-based ratings. A recent Viewpoint responded to recent challenges to board certification by highlighting the evidence for improved clinical outcomes and asserting their renewed commitment to organizational transparency. However, they did not mention the more fundamental rationale for why an individual physician must seek external validation of competence.