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In this edition of News and Notes …

Celebrating 90 Years

This year, ABIM is celebrating 90 years of serving the profession and the public. Ninety years of physicians setting standards for themselves and aligning those standards with the rapid evolution of medicine. Ninety years of investing in the health and well-being of patients.

ABIM was founded in 1936 by members of the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Medical Association (AMA). Their intention at the time was to set standards for education, training, knowledge and judgment that distinguished internists from other physicians. The Board, comprising just nine physicians, composed the written test and personally observed candidates take a patient history and perform a physical exam in the hospital followed by direct “oral examination.” After the first exam in December 1936, there were 27 ABIM Board Certified internists.

Today, nearly 300,000 physicians are ABIM Board Certified. While certification standards and assessments have evolved with the profession, ABIM’s mission remains true to its roots: to enhance the quality of health care by certifying internists and subspecialists who demonstrate the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for excellent patient care.

The history of ABIM is a reflection of the history of internal medicine: its gradual growth in the first three decades after its founding followed by rapid expansion of specialization in the 1970s, paralleling accelerating advances in patient care across many disciplines. Starting with one certification in Internal Medicine in 1936, followed by four subspecialties in 1941, ABIM now offers certification in Internal Medicine and 20 subspecialties. Since those first 27 diplomates in 1936, ABIM now certifies more than 10,000 in Internal Medicine and over 7,000 in the subspecialties annually.

For 90 years, ABIM and its board certified physicians have worked to remain current and relevant with a constantly evolving standard of medicine. From its founding to present day, physicians practicing in the field have decided what should be assessed for ABIM certification and remain at the helm of every advancement.

Through ABIM Governance and Item-Writing Task Forces, voluntary surveys and focus groups, physicians have led the evolution of ABIM’s programs, including the launch of the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) in 2022 and focused assessments launched this year. Even now, ABIM continues to be a vehicle by which the profession sets standards for itself, working with the discipline-specific communities to evolve training standards for board eligibility, pilot innovative competency-based training models, expand the options for assessments and explore emerging technologies to continue adapting certification and continuing certification to remain “of the profession, and for the public®.” 

Indeed, there is a large and growing body of evidence that patients whose physicians demonstrate more medical knowledge and judgment through certification and continuing certification have a better prognosis on a host of outcomes. Just as ABIM has long been committed to upholding the standards of evidence-based practice, we are committed to evaluating ABIM’s assessments and programs for evidence that we are meeting our mission.

In acknowledging this milestone anniversary, we celebrate the many thousands of physicians who have brought ABIM to this point in its history and who continue to shape its future. Throughout this year, you will see stories, people and pieces of history brought to life on the ABIM Blog and social media. We invite you to join in the celebration with pride in your board certification and your role in shaping history and the field of internal medicine itself. Above all, thank you for your continued commitment to the profession of medicine and the patients we serve.

With gratitude,

Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH
President and CEO, ABIM and the ABIM Foundation
Professor of Medicine

Five new focused LKAs launched

The Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) is ABIM’s flexible, open-book assessment option for meeting the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) assessment requirement in 17 specialties.

This year, ABIM expanded the LKA further with five new focused assessments:

Physicians currently participating in the general Hematology, Gastroenterology or Medical Oncology LKAs may choose to switch to one of the new focused assessments with no impact to their current five-year cycle, but only this year.

If you switch, your certification will continue to be listed under the broader discipline (Hematology, Gastroenterology or Medical Oncology) rather than a specific focus area.

Introduced in 2022, the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®) is now used by nearly 90,000 physicians to maintain more than 100,000 ABIM certifications in 17 specialties. Informed by ongoing physician feedback, the LKA has expanded and evolved over the years to better align with the needs of today’s practicing physicians.

The focused assessments cover the same topics as the general specialty blueprint with a greater proportion of questions in the area of focus. They were developed for physicians who practice primarily in one subspecialty area and enhance the ability of specialists to demonstrate they are staying current in their medical knowledge.

Any physician in one of these specialties can enroll in one of the new focused assessments to meet their assessment requirement in their due year. The LKA can also be used to regain a lapsed certification after completing a five-year LKA cycle.

Physicians can learn more about the exam content by reviewing the blueprints.

Enrollment for all ABIM assessments is now open and can be completed through your ABIM Physician Portal.

Assessment blueprints receive visual redesign; updates to content areas in five specialties

Assessment blueprints provide a clear guide to content (topics) and the relative percentages that will be covered in all ABIM assessments, and can help physicians in preparing for an assessment.

This year, ABIM published five updated blueprints which apply to the LKAs beginning in July and the fall MOC exam administrations:  

In addition to content area updates in these disciplines, all blueprints received a visual redesign. Physician feedback indicated that while some appreciated the many levels of detail available on the blueprints, the majority preferred a higher-level view of information with the option to access more detail.

The new design features a shorter introductory page and a heatmap showing relevance ratings for second-level blueprint topics. Those who want additional information can follow a link to a more detailed version that lays out the deeper layers of content within each topic area.

The new blueprints also feature updated visual cues. The red, yellow and green circles of the former blueprint design have been replaced with navy blue, light blue and white boxes that are easier to read for those with color vision deficiency.

Blueprints in Internal Medicine, Internal Medicine: Inpatient, Interventional Cardiology, Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology and Sleep Medicine are currently under review and updated versions will be published once they are completed. If you receive an invitation to participate in a public blueprint review survey, you are strongly encouraged to participate and share your perspective on the relevancy of topic areas in your discipline.

The new blueprint design is reflected in updated blueprints on ABIM’s website. Find the blueprint for your specialty.

Important Certification and MOC Dates

Enrollment and Registration

February 28, 2026: Registration closes for the spring 2026 traditional, 10-year MOC exam.

Deactivate a Certificate

March 31, 2026: The last day to deactivate a certificate you no longer want to maintain.

LKA-Related

January 1, 2026: First quarter LKA questions became available.

March 31, 2026: First quarter of the LKA ends. First quarter questions will not be available after this date.

April 1, 2026: The second-quarter questions are available for the LKA.

June 30, 2026: Final day to answer LKA second quarter questions.

September 30, 2026: The last day to answer questions in the third quarter.

October 1, 2026: Fourth-quarter LKA questions are available.

December 31. 2026: The last day to answer questions in the fourth quarter.

Celebrating physicians 30+ years certified who are participating in MOC

For many physicians, earning board certification is a major professional achievement; the culmination of rigorous education, training and demonstration of medical knowledge and clinical skill.

While earning certification represents an important moment early in a physician’s professional life, maintaining it throughout a career represents a dedication to staying current in the knowledge, skills and judgment essential for delivering excellent patient care.

Recently, more than 26,000 physicians were celebrated and honored for having been ABIM certified and participating in MOC for more than 30 years:

Physicians who achieved this honor received a digital badge and are featured in an online directory marking their achievement. They also had the option to claim a pin and certificate. Based on its reception and feedback, ABIM will expand the initiative to celebrate more certification achievements, including 10-year and 50-year anniversaries.

Have you been certified for over 30 years and are participating in the maintenance of certification program? Did you miss your email acknowledging your achievement? Email community@abim.org to inquire about your materials.

Needs-Based Certification Examination Fee Assistance Program a success

Last fall ABIM announced a new program aimed at supporting internists at the beginning of their certification journey.

More than 850 physicians received a 50% credit on their Internal Medicine Certification Exam fee last fall after applying and being approved for the ABIM Needs-Based Certification Examination Fee Assistance Program.

The program was created with guidance from the graduate medical education (GME) community, particularly program directors in internal medicine, to help reduce financial barriers for physicians pursuing ABIM Board Certification in Internal Medicine. It was open to first-time ABIM Internal Medicine Certification Exam candidates who registered to take the exam in August 2026.

Those who received the credit cited the high cost of living, expenses related to relocating for residency, substantial educational debt, unexpected medical bills, and the financial responsibility of supporting dependents as significant economic challenges.

More than 600 residents shared stories about their challenges, which included first-generation college students supporting family outside the United States, residents recovering from car accidents and house fires, and parents supporting children with disabilities or other medical needs.

Understanding the ongoing financial demands facing early career physicians, ABIM’s Needs-Based Assistance Program will continue for the 2027 Internal Medicine Certification Exam, and the application period will open for eligible first-time exam candidates in fall 2026.