Open Letter in Oppostion to ABORM

[Guest guest]

Hello All,

 

Below I have posted an open letter to the community

regarding a new " board " exam for reproductive

medicine. This is clearly an important political

issue and one that all of us need to start thinking

about - both here in the US and internationally. I am

not posting this letter in order to start a hot

political debate online. I am happy to answer

questions about this letter, but do not want to get

into a big discussion. I encourage you to read the

letter and think about where you stand on this issue.

Thank you,

 

Marnae

 

AN OPEN LETTER TO OPPOSE ABORM

 

In response to the recent ad in Acupuncture Today for

an exam in Oriental Reproductive Medicine,

administered by the newly formed, self-appointed,

American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (see

ABORM.org), we, the undersigned, as practitioners of

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, educators, members

of local and national acupuncture societies and

accredited certifying boards, would like to

respectfully oppose the attempts to form such

specialty boards and exams within our field. We oppose

this because:

 

1. There is no demonstrated need for this

certification

 

We are board certified by the NCCAOM and individual

states to treat the whole person, not a disease or

condition. Specialty certification imposes false

boundaries and there is neither need nor precedent for

this other than financial gain to the parties

attempting to impose it. The integrity of our medicine

will be compromised.

 

2. There is no oversight or accountability for such a

board

 

With its prominent use of the words " board " and

" certification " , ABORM invites confusion not only with

NCCAOM certification, but also with the ABMS (American

Board of Medical Specialties) Board Certification for

Medical Doctors. NCCAOM and ABMS are large,

independent certifying boards that comply with

nationwide standards for fairness and transparency.

ABMS defines specialty certification as “of

significance for physicians preparing for careers in

teaching, research, or practice restricted to that

field” (italics added). ABORM, on the other hand,

states that their goal is to “set the standard of care

in this field. (italics added). [They] have recognized

the need for a certification to ensure that

practitioners who are treating patients with Oriental

Medicine in the field of Reproductive Health are doing

so with a qualified knowledge and experience.” We

believe that the ABORM board is confused about the

role of specialty boards in medicine and is leading

our medicine down the wrong path.

 

 

3. There is no process supporting the content to be

provided

 

How is the content material determined? Has the board

gone through the process of making sure that their

content is unbiased and represents all of the numerous

traditions that exist? Does it give “full recognition

to the diversity of acupuncture in the US, while also

providing a unified set of national standards for safe

and competent practice”? (NCCAOM website). The

creation of ABORM, and the exam offered by ABORM,

implies the intention of monopolizing a centralized

protocol for the treatment of patients with fertility

issues, and opens up the potential that this will

happen to all specialties that are treated by

acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

 

4. Malpractice coverage may become prohibitive and

exclusionary

 

In 2005, our profession was successful in removing the

exclusion in malpractice coverage for gynecological

conditions. Now, we are hoping the community of

practitioners will also recognize the inherent risks

of specialty boards and exams which will impose even

more stringent restrictions on practice if insurers

take such a certification into account when setting

fees. We are convinced that the virtual monopoly on

malpractice coverage will only continue to limit our

profession if this is allowed to happen.

 

 

5. There is all likelihood that this will damage

rather than benefit our profession.

 

While we enthusiastically advocate for continuing

education classes, we find that the structure as

presented may also be misleading to the public. It

suggests that simply passing an exam structured by

self-interested parties somehow qualifies one to treat

fertility patients with more authority than other

practitioners. Education in western evaluative

measures can be informative, but will not necessarily

make us better acupuncturists.

 

In conclusion, while we are in full support of

practitioners being well trained in the medicine they

practice and have respect for the good intentions of

many of the ABORM board members, we believe that

self-appointed " boards " without oversight can be

exclusionary and possibly even harmful to the

profession. Although well intentioned, we find this

trend ill conceived.

 

If you would like to support this opposition, please

add your name to the petition by emailing

boycottaborm with your name, credentials,

state in which you practice, and any organization that

you represent.

[Guest guest]

Hi -

 

Somehow the response address in my last e-mail was not complete. If

you wish to support this petition, send your name to

boycottaborm. A copy of this letter, along with names of

people supporting it will be published in a full page in the next

edition of American Acupuncturist (AT).

 

Marnae

[Guest guest]

Marnae,

 

Can I ask you why you are objecting to this and creating the petition?

 

I don't see any other emails on the forum in relation to it.

 

Best wishes,

 

Gordon.

 

On 8/8/07, marnaecrystal <marnae wrote:

>

> Hi -

>

> Somehow the response address in my last e-mail was not complete. If

> you wish to support this petition, send your name to

> boycottaborm <boycottaborm%40>. A copy of this letter,

> along with names of

> people supporting it will be published in a full page in the next

> edition of American Acupuncturist (AT).

>

> Marnae

>

>