Press Release
Local Physician Achieves Board Certification, Lexington, Kentucky September 2007 – The American Board of Family Medicine is pleased to announce the successful completion of its Re-certification Examination by Dr. Mark Hinman. Board certification confers a standard of excellence in knowledge and practice to physicians who not only certify via the examination process, but who also work diligently on the maintenance of these skills during the seven-year cycle between examinations.The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), one of twenty-four Member Boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties, is the second largest medical specialty board in the United States. Founded in 1969, it is a voluntary, not-for-profit, private organization whose purposes include improving the quality of medical care available to the public, establishing and maintaining standards of excellence in the specialty of Family Medicine, improving the standards of medical education for training in Family Medicine, and determining by evaluation the fitness of specialists in Family Medicine who apply for and hold certificates.
To achieve re-certification by the ABFM, a family physician must verify the completion of 300 hours of acceptable continuing medical education over the past six years; possess a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the United States; and successfully complete a one-day, written examination of cognitive knowledge and problem-solving abilities. This examination covers the disciplines of the specialty including, but not limited to: adult medicine; care of newborns, infants, children, and adolescents; maternity and gynecological care; community medicine; care of the older patient; human behavior and mental health; and care of the surgical patient.
Additional information regarding the American Board of Family Medicine may be obtained from its website at www.theabfm.org.