ABMS Brings Together Boards Community And Health Care Leaders To Focus On Improving Patient Care, Quality Standards At Annual Conference

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American Board of Medical Specialties

Sep 16, 2019, 11:00 ET

CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) will convene more than 500 professionals from across the health care spectrum at ABMS Conference 2019 on Sept. 23 - 25 at the JW Marriott hotel in Chicago.

ABMS Conference 2019: Innovations in Assessment, Learning and Improvement will feature two and half days of programming created for health care professionals and leaders from ABMS Member Boards, medical and professional societies, hospitals and health systems, academic medical centers, quality and practice improvement sectors, and continuing medical education and professional development communities. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about and help impact the transformation of board certification and continuing certification as well as share best practices in assessment and medical education, health policy, and improvement in patient care through board certification.

"This year's Conference focuses on the transformation that is underway throughout the board certification and credentialing communities," stated ABMS President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard E. Hawkins, MD. "Such transformation requires the input, assistance, and partnership along the continuum of medical education across the health care system. ABMS Conference 2019 is an important forum for the ABMS community to bring together leaders from all aspects of health care and professional self-regulation to share best practices and new ideas that will shape the future of board certification, inform the work of their organizations and the work of the boards, and ultimately improve the care delivered to patients and their families."

This year's program features more than 60 engaging sessions – including four plenary sessions hosted by recognized national and international leaders – on topics such as professionalism and professional standing, innovations in physician assessment and evaluation, continuing professional development, health policy and research, organizational operations, communications, quality improvement (QI), and patient safety and engagement.

Featured plenary speakers are:

CEO Plenary: Richard E. Hawkins, MD, President and CEO, ABMS
The Lois Margaret Nora, MD Endowed Lecture Plenary: Darrell G. Kirch, MD, Immediate Past President and CEO, Association of American Medical Colleges
Assessment Plenary: Craig M. Campbell, MD, FRCPC, Principal Senior Advisor for Competency-based Continuing Professional Development, Office of Specialty Education at The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Education Plenary: Chris Khoury, MBA, Vice President, Environmental Intelligence & Strategic Analytics, American Medical Association (AMA); Kimberly Lomis, MD, Vice President, Undergraduate Medical Education Innovations, AMA; and Jon Perkins, Product Owner, AMA Ed Hub™.

Selected session topics include:

New Competency Expectations for Improving Diagnosis
Video-based Communication Assessment: A New Way to Assess Physician-Patient Communication Skills
Leveraging Continuing Certification to Engage Physicians in QI
Using Data to Improve Clinical Decisions, Processes, Operations, and Patient Care
Engaging Early-career Academic Physicians in QI, Research, and Certification
Innovations in Assessment, Learning, and Improvement
Reimaging Residency: Competency-based Surgical Training Using Entrustable Professional Activities

New this year are the Lightening Round Sessions, featuring brief presentations by six select ABMS Member Boards highlighting their continuing certification innovations. ABMS Conference 2019 also will feature exhibits of new products and services as well as a poster session of late-breaking research and evidence-based practices on topics ranging from innovative methodologies to support the assessment, measurement, and evaluation of physician competence to quality, performance, and patient outcomes metrics leveraged through board certification.

As members of the ABMS Visiting Scholars Program present the results of their research projects in a dedicated breakout session, members of the new class of 2019-2020 will be announced. The Visiting Scholars Program provides a unique one-year, part-time professional development and scholarship opportunity for early career physicians, junior faculty, fellows, residents, and individuals holding advanced degrees in public health, health services research, and other relevant disciplines.

Additionally, the recipient of the ABMS Portfolio Program™ (Portfolio Program) Outstanding Achievement in Quality Improvement Award will be announced. The award was established last year to recognize the exemplary efforts and activities of Portfolio Program Sponsors that are working to improve patient care quality, safety, outcomes, and experiences.

"This year's programming covers the wide spectrum of professionals and organizations that work alongside and in partnership with the ABMS community," said Cecily Marroquin, Chair of the ABMS Conference 2019 Planning Committee. "We greatly appreciate the efforts of all those involved who contributed in helping inform, develop, and coordinate an event that really showcases the importance and interconnected role that board certification plays in today's health care system."

About ABMS
Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is the leading not-for-profit organization overseeing physician certification in the United States. ABMS establishes the standards its 24 Member Boards use to develop and implement educational and professional evaluation, assessment, and certification of physician specialists. More than 880,000 physicians are certified in one or more of the approved 40 specialties and 87 subspecialties offered by the ABMS Member Boards. For more information about ABMS, visit abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties