Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Summary | Fall 2026
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee met on Sept. 23, 2026, holding discussions on health equity, quality improvement and expanding engagement with both diplomates and the public. The Advisory Committee also voted on candidates for governance appointments.
This meeting included representatives of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.*
See below for details of each agenda item. ABIM publishes reports of all Advisory Committee meetings on the ABIM Blog.
Advisory Committee Composition
The Advisory Committee comprises physician representatives of five American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Member Boards (the cosponsoring boards) as well as two public members: one with a patient or caregiver background and one with healthcare team member experience in the field. ABIM is the administrative board that creates and administers the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Certification Exam and MOC Exam. For more detailed information about the history and composition of the Advisory Committee, visit the ABIM Blog. The Advisory Committee members are:
- Laura Dingfield, MD, MSEd, FAAHPM, chair; ABIM
- Ilanit Brook, MD, MSHS, American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
- Stephen Hays, MD, American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
- Christine Khandelwal, DO, MHPE, American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)
- Perla M. Macip Rodriguez, MD, ABIM
- Mary Lynn McPherson, Pharm.D., Ph.D., FAAHPM (public member)
- Carol Noon, MS (public member)
- David Nowels, MD, ABFM
- Jason Ondrejka, DO, American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)
The qualifying boards for certification in hospice and palliative medicine are the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG), the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR), the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), the American Board of Radiology (ABR), and the American Board of Surgery (ABS) and other ABMS surgical boards.
ABIM Leadership Update*
Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH, MACP, President and CEO of ABIM and the ABIM Foundation, met with the Advisory Committee to report updates across ABIM’s strategic initiatives, including program enhancements, expanding stakeholder engagement, new research and investments in technological innovation.
The discussion highlighted a recent systematic review of the association between certification exam performance and quality of care. Dr. McDonald pointed out that the 44 studies in the review consistently show an association between stronger exam performance and better patient care across disciplines, countries and stages of medical education. He stressed that these associations are not evidence of causation and added that ABIM is investing in research to test foundational claims about certification and knowledge as ABIM remains committed to ensuring its credential is supported by robust evidence.
Dr. Dingfield also asked about the implications of ABIM’s research on the contributions of foreign-born physicians amid recent visa policy shifts. Dr. McDonald replied that it was too early to identify a definitive policy outcome from the research, but noted that it had prompted discussion at national meetings and underscored the important role that physicians born outside the U.S. play in caring for underserved communities. Visa renewal and immigration barriers affecting the physician workforce and access to care remain a leading concern for the ABMS Member Board community.
Health Equity*
Lorna Lynn, MD, Senior Vice President for Health Equity and Medical Assessment Engagement, updated the Specialty Board on ABIM’s health equity work. ABIM remains firmly committed to advancing health equity and continues to work in the areas outlined in the Equity Statement: developing health equity content for assessments, working to ensure that assessments are fair and conducting research to advance equity in the profession. Dr. Lynn noted that this work involves staff throughout the organization, along with many physician volunteers, including Item-Writers and Approval Committee members. ABIM continues training staff and volunteers and building the systems needed to expand this work through all disciplines. Dr. Lynn noted recent research published in JAMA that highlights the contributions of physicians born outside the U.S. to the internal medicine workforce, authored by ABIM researchers and members of the ABIM Equity Committee.
ABIM’s equity work has also benefited candidates for initial certification through the Needs-Based Certification Exam Fee Assistance Program. Now in the second year of a planned five-year pilot, the Fee Assistance Program provides a 50% fee credit—$715—on the Internal Medicine Certification Exam for eligible first-time candidates who apply and attest to financial need, regardless of medical training background. Last year, more than 850 physicians applied and received the credit on their 2026 exam fee.
ABMS Standard 19: Engagement in Improving Health and Health Care*
Continuing its discussion from the spring, the Advisory Committee returned to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Standards for Continuing Certification, No. 19, which requires ABMS Member Boards to better track physician engagement in quality improvement work using existing measurements and reporting (i.e., without creating a new requirement for physicians themselves). Each of the Specialty Boards and the cosponsored Advisory Committees is involved in the development of the ABIM definition of quality improvement.
Laura L. Sessums, JD, MD, Chief Medical Officer, proposed a working definition of quality improvement based on three ideas: that quality improvement is intentional and involves action, that it produces a measurable or observable result and that it does not require a demonstration of improvement. She asked the Advisory Committee for feedback on whether the definition was broad enough to encompass meaningful activities across the specialty.
One member suggested that the outcomes language explicitly cover clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes, and another participant noted that clearer wording could also help Item-Writers and Approval Committees address quality improvement in assessments. Members also compared a definition used by another cosponsoring board, which emphasizes a structured, measurable and continuous process, and discussed how recognizing activities physicians already do differs from requiring them.
The Advisory Committee’s feedback will inform the final definition of quality improvement that will be slated for review and approval by the ABIM Council in December. Determination of diplomate activities within the definition that qualify for recognition will follow in 2027.
Patient Engagement*
Yuvaram Reddy, MBBS, MPH, who joined ABIM in July as the inaugural Deputy Chief Medical Officer, is leading ABIM’s initiative to deepen engagement with patients and the broader public. In general, patients and the broader public have a limited understanding of the value of ABMS certification—particularly how board certified physicians take several steps to remain current in medical knowledge and how studies show the association between board certification and improved patient care. (See the independent review published in August 2026 in Academic Medicine.) Dr. Reddy presented the initial strategy for patient engagement to the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee and sought their feedback, including their recommendations for patient-facing organizations with whom ABIM might engage.
Suggestions from the Advisory Committee included reaching out to caregiver and patient networks, organizations focused on disability, and patient-facing hospice and palliative care organizations. They also discussed how to explain board certification to the public, emphasizing trust, demonstrated expertise, easy access to physician information, help navigating the health system, and clear communications (images, pictographs or videos that include physicians and patients) that work for broad audiences.
Dr. Reddy’s team will use this input, alongside additional research, to develop an engagement plan over the coming months.
AAHPM Update*
Representatives of AAHPM shared updates on the academy’s educational events, quality and advocacy initiatives, and plans to move to an e-learning software platform in 2027 to better support members. They described the direction of the platform as aspirational, aiming to recognize the field’s expertise while accounting for differences in access to and comfort with specialized care in smaller communities.
The AAHPM Public Policy Committee planned to advance a proposal to the American Medical Association (AMA) Pain and Palliative Care Section in November to require hospice medical directors to be board certified by the Hospice Medical Director Certification Board (HMDCB) or ABIM. The AAHPM Quality Committee is collaborating with major electronic health record companies to incorporate quality data reporting metrics.
Engaging Diplomates of Cosponsored and Qualifying Boards*
Dr. Dingfield led a discussion about supporting and engaging diplomates of ABMS qualifying boards in the development of hospice and palliative medicine assessments, and the Advisory Committee’s areas of oversight. Diplomates of qualifying boards who have successfully completed accredited training in the specialty may apply for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Certification through ABIM. If they are successful on the exam, they hold certification from their qualifying board and certification from ABIM, meeting requirements for both. The Advisory Committee discussed trends in the numbers of exam candidates from qualifying boards over the past 15 years. Qualifying boards typically have small numbers of physicians pursuing training and certification in the cosponsored discipline. They do not have direct representation on the Advisory Committee or in ABIM Governance or assessment development processes, although diplomates from qualifying boards who hold Hospice and Palliative Medicine Board Certification may apply for open ABIM positions on the Advisory Committee, as well as for positions on the Approval Committees or Item-Writing Task Force.
The Advisory Committee discussed the importance of hearing perspectives from diplomates in the qualifying board disciplines and how they might be incorporated into official committee business. Dr. Dingfield suggested their input might be particularly useful in the work of the Approval Committees (which review and approve content on the assessments) and standard-setting panels (which set the passing score of assessments). Other committee members suggested targeted engagement opportunities be developed for qualifying board diplomates.
Society guests departed at this point in the meeting.
Approval Committee Membership Appointments
The Advisory Committee is responsible for appointing new members to the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Approval Committees. Following a discussion of candidates for the most recent opening, the Advisory Committee appointed three physicians to join for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2027. All candidates will be notified in the coming months and ABIM will announce the final appointees in July.
Approval Committee openings are typically published the fall of the year prior to the start of the term. Current openings on ABIM Governance and the Item-Writing Task Forces can always be found on ABIM’s website.
Advisory Committee Membership Appointment
ABIM issued notice in June about an opening on the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee for an interprofessional healthcare team (public) member with an initial three-year term beginning July 1, 2027. Advisory Committee members reviewed applications and met with candidates prior to the fall meeting. Following a discussion of the candidates’ qualifications, the Advisory Committee reached consensus on a slate of nominees to submit to the Cosponsoring Committee, which comprises executives at each of the cosponsoring boards and makes the final appointment.
ABIM will contact all applicants in the months following the Cosponsoring Committee’s decision and announce the final appointees next July.
Advisory Committee openings are typically published in July of the year prior to the start of the term. Current openings on ABIM Governance and the Item-Writing Task Forces can always be found on ABIM’s website.
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*Society representatives and other guests are invited to join for a limited portion of the agenda, marked with an asterisk. Other items are discussed by the Advisory Committee in private.
