Maintenance of Licensure: Supporting a Physician's Commitment to Lifelong Learning
Authors: Humayun J. Chaudhry, Lance A. Talmage, Patrick C. Alguire, Frances E. Cain, Sandra Waters, Janelle A. Rhyne
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

Ideas and Opinions21 August 2012Maintenance of Licensure: Supporting a Physician's Commitment to Lifelong LearningHumayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, SM, Lance A. Talmage, MD, Patrick C. Alguire, MD, Frances E. Cain, BA, Sandra Waters, MEM, and Janelle A. Rhyne, MD, MAHumayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, SMFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio., Lance A. Talmage, MDFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio., Patrick C. Alguire, MDFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio., Frances E. Cain, BAFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio., Sandra Waters, MEMFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio., and Janelle A. Rhyne, MD, MAFrom the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-157-4-201208210-00478 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Initially focused on preventing the unlicensed practice of medicine by "quacks" and "charlatans," state medical boards evolved necessarily over time to promote higher standards for undergraduate medical education; require assessment of knowledge and skills to qualify for initial licensure; develop and enforce standards for professional discipline; and, beginning in 1971, promote continuing medical education (CME). More than a century ago, state medical boards were instrumental in securing legislation that authorized them to refuse to examine graduates of poor-quality medical schools—even before the 1910 publication of Abraham Flexner's scathing indictment of proprietary schools, which hastened their demise and closure (1, 2). ...References1. Ameringer CF. State Medical Boards and the Politics of Public Protection. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Univ Pr; 1999:19-20. Google Scholar2. Stevens R. American Medicine and the Public Interest. Berkeley: Univ California Pr; 1998:59-60. Google Scholar3. Report of the National Advisory Commission on Health Manpower. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 1967. Google Scholar4. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Report on Licensure and Related Health Personnel Credentialing. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 1971. Google Scholar5. Finocchio LJ, Dower CM, McMahon T, Gragnola CM; Taskforce on Health Care Work Force Regulation. Reforming Health Care Workforce Regulation: Policy Considerations for the 21st Century. San Francisco: Pew Health Professions Commission; 1995. Google Scholar6. Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS; Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine. To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2000:2, 116, 118. Google Scholar7. Brier R, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS, Kohn LT; Committee on Quality of Health Care in America, Institute of Medicine. Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. Washington, DC: National Academies Pr; 2001:25-6. Google Scholar8. Leach DC. Competence is a habit [Editorial]. JAMA. 2002;287:243-4. [PMID: 11779269] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Chaudhry HJ, Rhyne JA, Waters S, Cain FE, Talmage LA. Maintenance of licensure: evolving from framework to implementation. Journal of Medical Regulation. 2012;97:8–13. Accessed at www.fsmb.org/pdf/jmr-mol.pdf on 11 June 2012. Google Scholar10. Chaudhry HJ, Rhyne J, Cain FE, Young A, Crane M, Bush F. Maintenance of licensure: protecting the public, promoting quality health care. Journal of Medical Regulation. 2010;96:13–20. Accessed at www.fsmb.org/pdf/mol-bg.pdf on 5 February 2012. Google Scholar11. Young A, Chaudhry HJ, Rhyne J, Dugan M. A census of actively licensed physicians in the United States, 2010. Journal of Medical Regulation. 2010;96:10–20. Accessed at www.fsmb.org/pdf/pub-journal-census.pdf on 5 February 2012. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the Federation of State Medical Boards, Euless, Texas; South East Area Health Education Center, Wilmington, North Carolina; American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M12-0364.Corresponding Author: Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, MS, SM, Federation of State Medical Boards, 400 Fuller Wiser Road, Suite 300, Euless, TX 76039.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Chaudhry, Ms. Waters, and Ms. Cain: Federation of State Medical Boards, 400 Fuller Wiser Road, Suite 300, Euless, TX 76039.Dr. Talmage: University of Toledo, 45 Exmoor, Ottawa Hills, OH 43615.Dr. Alguire: American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.Dr. Rhyne: South East Area Health Education Center, 1601 Doctors Circle, Wilmington, NC 28401.Author Contributions: Conception and design: H.J. Chaudhry, P.C. Alguire.Analysis and interpretation of the data: H.J. Chaudhry, S. Waters.Drafting of the article: H.J. Chaudhry, J.A. Rhyne, S. Waters.Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: H.J. Chaudhry, P.C. Alguire, S. Waters, F.E. Cain.Final approval of the article: H.J. Chaudhry, J.A. Rhyne, P.C. Alguire, L.A. Talmage, F.E. Cain.Administrative, technical, or logistic support: L.A. Talmage.Collection and assembly of data: J.A. Rhyne, S. Waters.This article was published at www.annals.org on 26 June 2012. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoMaintenance of Licensure Paul Kempen Maintenance of Licensure Marc S. Frager Maintenance of Licensure James J. Glazier Maintenance of Licensure Connie Nugent and Kenneth M. Nugent Maintenance of Licensure Humayun J. Chaudhry , Lance A. Talmage , and Janelle A. Rhyne Metrics Cited ByMaintenance of Certification: Perceptions and Attitudes of NeurosurgeonsDo the public think medical regulation keep them safe?What Is Implementation Science and What Forces Are Driving a Change in Medical Education?Legal and Policy Interventions to Improve Patient SafetyThe effect of continuing professional development on public complaints: a case-control studySystems-Based Practice and Practice-Based Learning for the General Psychiatrist: Old Competencies, New EmphasisThe Four General CompetenciesThe Relationship Between Physician Participation in Continuing Professional Development Programs and Physician In-Practice Peer AssessmentsMaintenance of Certification and LicensureMaintenance of Certification in dermatology: What we know, what we don'tThe Evidence and Rationale for Maintenance of LicensureMaintenance of LicensurePaul Kempen, MD, PhDMaintenance of LicensureMarc S. Frager, MDMaintenance of LicensureJames J. Glazier, MDMaintenance of LicensureConnie Nugent, MLS and Kenneth M. Nugent, MDMaintenance of certification in Internal Medicine: participation rates and patient outcomesDisciplining doctors for misconduct: character matters, but so does competence 21 August 2012Volume 157, Issue 4Page: 287-289KeywordsGraduate medical educationHealth care qualityHealth insuranceMedical educationPatientsPrimary careQuality improvementSafetySimulation and modelingSoftware tools ePublished: 21 August 2012 Issue Published: 21 August 2012 CopyrightCopyright © 2012 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...