I’m DPC Certified Now! Why I let go of my ABFM Board Certification.
This post was by Michelle Cooke, MD:
I recently made the decision to let go of my long-held American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) certification. For nearly a decade, I proudly maintained my board certification since graduating from residency. However, the time has come to say goodbye.
So why did I let go of my ABFM certification?
The short answer is simple: as a Direct Primary Care (DPC) physician, I don’t need to.
Here’s the long answer:
During my years as an employed physician, I was a meticulous box checker.
Medication reconciliation – check
Compliance Training – check
Reviewed Past Medical History – check
How on earth could you ever prove your value if you didn’t check the box?? Questioning the necessity of these tasks would only have wasted the precious time needed to check more boxes.
Maintaining my ABFM certification was just another box to check. Regrettably, it was often a low-value and frustrating task. To this day, I find it absurd that I had to complete a board-certified activity to prove that I wash my hands—cue eye roll. I wish that was a joke.
I continued maintaining my board certification because it was a requirement of my employer, and they covered the costs. Now, as a DPC physician, I’m much more discerning about which boxes I check and why. Increasingly, I saw little value in maintaining my ABFM certification. With every dollar spent now coming directly from my office, I scrutinize my financial decisions far more carefully. Without a hospital system to cover expenses, I have to think twice before deploying financial resources. (Funny how much this reminds of another system where using a third-party payer leads to high cost with low value, but I digress)
I had to ask myself: how much does this certification really matter? In all my years of practice, no patient has ever asked if I was board-certified. I consistently exceed the required Continuing Medical Education (CME) to maintain my license and actively participate in scholarly activities like lecturing at conferences and teaching medical students. None of this will change after dropping my ABFM certification. In fact, I may be even more engaged without the burden of redundant tasks like the “scholarly activity” of handwashing.
Then there’s the cost. I couldn’t justify paying $200 annually plus $1,300 for periodic board exams for a stamp of approval that didn’t enhance my practice.
I am now certified by the National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS). They allow me to choose the CME most relevant to my practice without mandating trivial activities. At less than $100 per year, this reasonable fee is covered by my malpractice discount for maintaining certification (thanks to Doctors Direct Insurance for recognizing the NBPAS!).
I love my specialty, but I won’t miss the ABFM. Sorry, not sorry.
Dr. Michelle Cooke is not only a rock-star Family Physician, she is a wife, boy-mom, yogi and a proud Direct Primary Care Physician. She is the owner & founder of Southwest Atlanta’s first DPC Practice – Sol Direct Primary Care. The DPC model frees Dr. Cooke to spend more time with her patients to practice lifestyle medicine. She helps her patients achieve their best health with less medication! When she is not in the office, you’ll find Dr. Cooke on the yoga mat, frolicking in nature, or jamming to live music around Atlanta. https://sol-dpc.org
