Certificate of Added Qualification

Additional Certifications

Additional subspecialty certificates are available to ABFM Diplomates through other ABMS specialty boards. If you are interested in a subspecialty certificate, please contact the administering board listed below.

Addiction Medicine

The Addiction Medicine subspecialty certificate is offered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. This certificate recognizes your knowledge of Addiction Medicine concerned with the prevention, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of persons with the disease of addiction, of those with substance-related health conditions, and of people who show unhealthy use of substances including nicotine, alcohol, prescription medications and other illicit drugs.

Obtaining and Maintaining Addiction Medicine Certificate

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Addiction Medicine subspecialty certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain your family medicine certification and meet Addiction Medicine subspecialty certificate requirements, which can be found on the American Board of Preventive Medicine website.

You may be eligible to take the Addiction Medicine certification exam through the practice pathway until December 31, 2025. Beginning January 1, 2026, you will be required to complete a 12-month, ACGME-accredited, Addiction Medicine fellowship training program to be eligible for the exam.

​American Board of Preventative Medicine
ABPM WEBSITE
[email protected]


Brain Injury Medicine

The Brain Injury Medicine subspecialty certificate is offered by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in conjunction with the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. This certificate recognizes your knowledge of the prevention of brain injury, as well as the evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation of individuals with acquired brain injury.

Obtaining and Maintaining Brain Injury Medicine Certificate

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Brain Injury Medicine subspecialty certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain both your family medicine certification and Sports Medicine CAQ. In addition, you must also meet the Brain Injury Medicine subspecialty certificate requirements, which can be found on the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation website.

​American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
ABPMR Website
[email protected]


Clinical Informatics

The Clinical Informatics subspecialty certificate is offered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine. This certificate recognizes your knowledge of patient care combined with your understanding of informatics concepts methods and tools to: assess information and knowledge needs of health care professionals and patients; characterize, evaluate and refine clinical processes; develop, implement procurement, customization, development, implementation, management, evaluation, and continuous improvement of clinical information systems.

Obtaining and Maintaining Clinical Informatics Certificate

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Clinical Informatics subspecialty certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain your family medicine certification and meet Clinical Informatics subspecialty certificate requirements, which can be found on the American Board of Preventive Medicine website.

You may be eligible to take the Clinical Informatics certification exam through a practice pathway until December 31, 2025. Beginning January 1, 2026, you will be required to complete a 24-month, ACGME-accredited, Clinical Informatics fellowship training program to be eligible for the exam

American Board of Preventative Medicine
ABPM Website
[email protected]


Emergency Medical Services

The Emergency Medical Services subspecialty certificate is offered by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. This certificate recognizes your knowledge of the delivery of medical care of the acutely ill or injured patient in the pre-hospital setting.

Obtaining and Maintaining Emergency Medical Services Certificate

If you are interested in obtaining your initial Emergency Medical Services subspecialty certificate or maintaining a current certificate, you must continuously maintain your family medicine certification and meet Emergency Medical Services subspecialty certificate requirements, which can be found on the American Board of Emergency Medicine website.

​American Board of Emergency Medicine
ABEM Website
[email protected]


Designation of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine

The Designation of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine was offered in conjunction with the American Board of Internal Medicine from 2010 through 2023. This designation was available to qualifying ABFM physicians and was designed to recognize excellence among those Diplomates whose practice emphasized care for patients primarily in a hospital setting.

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) announced on July 12, 2023, that the hospital medicine examination would no longer be offered as a separate Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine designation after 2023. ABIM had been the administering board for the Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine designation since 2010 and ABFM was a co-sponsor in the examination content and designation requirements.

October 2023 was the final administration of the examination. ABFM will honor all Hospital Medicine designations earned in 2023 and prior, through their ten-year cycles as promised (provided Family Medicine certification is continuously maintained). Due to the discontinuation of the Hospital Medicine exam, there is no longer an option to continue the designation for additional cycles. ABFM will continue to support the needs of family physicians in the hospital setting in their certification through self-assessment activities and performance improvement opportunities.

If you have questions about the Designation of Focused Practice in Hospital Medicine, please contact the Support Center at [email protected] or 877-223-7437.