One of the major goals of the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) is to increase the value of board certification for individual Diplomates. To do this requires understanding the needs and preferences of family physicians participating in certification—which is why we have worked so hard in recent years to create more opportunities for listening and sharing. We occasionally hear Diplomates express their belief that we are developing the process, writing the examination and assessment items, and creating the activities for certification all inside of a small office in Lexington, Kentucky.
Each of our major initiatives to improve the value of board certification—the Family Medicine Certification Longitudinal Assessment (FMCLA), enhancing item development, revising the Performance Improvement (PI) activity design, the upgrading of Knowledge Self-Assessments (KSAs), and more—has been shaped by Diplomate feedback and involvement.