How Much Will This Cost?
Noting that the ABIM has received criticism over the costs of the certification process, Dr. Kuvin said they intend to make this “as lean a machine as possible with the focus on reducing the financial [burden] as well as the time burden for cardiologists. It is very important that this is not cumbersome, that it is woven into clinical practice, and that it is not costly.”
But he pointed out that building a new board will have significant costs.
“We have to think about developing initial board certification examinations as well as changing the paradigm on continuous certification,” he said. “This will take some up-front costs, and our society partners have decided that they are willing to provide some start-up funds for this. We anticipate the initial certification will remain somewhat similar in price, but the cost of ongoing continuous competency assessment will be significantly reduced compared to today’s models.”
Dr. Kuvin said the collaboration of the five participating US cardiovascular societies was unprecedented. But he noted that while the transition board is beginning with representatives of these individual societies, it will ultimately be independent from these societies and have its own board of directors.
He suggested that other societies representing other parts of cardiology are also interested. “Cardiology has recognized how important this is,” he said. “Everybody is excited about this.”
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.