Division Among the Ranks

American Board of Podiatric Medicine

The American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM), an organization historically certifying general podiatrists in podiatric medicine, announced its Certificate of Added Qualification for Podiatric Surgery last week.

According to ABPM's media release, the certificate is "a voluntary step beyond board certification that recognizes knowledge, expertise, and experience in the subspeciality of podiatric surgery.”

The application process, which opens August 15, is detailed on the ABPM website.

American Board of Foot & Ankle Surgery Within days of the ABPM announcement, the American Board of Foot & Ankle Surgery, which certifies podiatric surgeons in forefoot, advanced rearfoot and ankle reconstructive surgery, issued a pointed response:

“The American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) is the only recognized certifying board for foot and ankle surgery in the United States. We are deeply concerned about the announcement by the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM) that it plans to issue a new, unrecognized certification in podiatric surgery."

This certification, the ABFAS statement continues, "is without recognition by any accrediting body," and "ABPM risks injecting confusion into the U.S. healthcare market about podiatrists’ qualifications to perform surgery, harming public health, and sullying the reputation of currently surgical-certified podiatrists throughout the country."

The full statement is available at the ABFAS website.