Top 10 issues in hospital medicine for 2009, issue 9: board certification for hospitalists

Well, not exactly. Recognition of focused practice (RFP) is the preferred term. Bob Wachter announced it on his blog here. More information can be found here and here. It is part of the American Board of Internal Medicine's maintenance of certification (MOC) program and includes self assessment modules and a secure exam. Although the first exam is less than a year away (October 25, 2010) I have yet to see any exam preparation resources. We are told that some material will be available at SHM 2010 this April and that SHM's QI Resource Rooms are a good start for self assessment of practice performance. At least three years of post residency practice as a hospitalist are required for eligibility.