Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee Meeting Summary | Fall 2025
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee held its fall meeting on September 15, 2025. Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH, President and CEO of ABIM and the ABIM Foundation and representatives from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) joined for a portion of the meeting.*
The following is a summary of the fall meeting. Visit the ABIM Blog for reports of prior meetings.
Advisory Committee Composition
The Advisory Committee comprises physician representatives of five American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Member Boards (referred to as the “cosponsoring boards”), and two public members: one with a patient or caregiver background in the field and one with healthcare team member experience in the field. 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; American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
- Ilanit Brook, MD, MSHS, American Board of Pediatrics (ABP)
- Stephen Hays, MD, American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA)
- Perla M. Macip-Rodriguez, MD (ABIM)
- Mary Lynn McPherson, Pharm.D., Ph.D., FAAHPM (public member)
- Carol Noon, MS (public member)
- David Nowels, MD, American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)
- Jessica Stetz, MD, American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM)
The qualifying boards for certification in hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) 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*
Dr. McDonald discussed progress on ABIM’s strategic initiatives, including:
- Enhancements to the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA®), such as the possibility of expanded eligibility, developing focused versions in some specialties that will launch in 2026, and exploring additional focused versions in other specialties for the future
- Expanding ABIM’s Assessment and Research Division with the appointment of Eric J. Warm, MD, MACP, as the inaugural Vice President of Research Strategy, advancing collaboration and research to link certification with improved outcomes
- Supporting early career physicians and international medical graduates (IMGs) with the needs-based certification exam fee assistance program and the competency-based medical education pilot for IMGs
- Recognizing ABIM Board Certified physicians at key career milestones, such as attaining more than 30 years of certification, and an end-of-year wrap-up for LKA participants
- Advancing innovation in assessment through new technology and society collaboration
Dr. Dingfield asked how ABIM intends to use research to amplify evidence-based medicine, to which Dr. McDonald responded that the organization will take stock of ongoing projects, identify opportunities for innovation and help ensure assessments reflect the standards of practice. Dr. McDonald also discussed future opportunities for artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance assessment. He noted that, separately, ABIM is working with ABMS’s Innovations Advisory Group to explore AI-driven standardized patient cases.
Diplomate Professional Profile*
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Advisory Committee reviewed the status of ABIM’s Diplomate Professional Profile (DPP), a survey that ABIM Board Certified physicians are asked to complete every five years via the Physician Portal. Data gathered from the DPP will inform exam blueprint updates and help ABIM understand what physicians are doing in practice as well as practice trends.
Collectively, members agreed that refining the DPP to capture some additional components would deepen insights into workforce trends:
- Tracking practice settings, such as inpatient, ambulatory or hospice-based, to help determine where care is delivered
- Reporting on the proportion of physicians who pursue hospice and palliative medicine after another specialty and questions about retirement plans to better understand workforce trends
- Questions addressing the composition of palliative care teams, including social workers, chaplains and nurses
- Incorporating questions about value-based care programs in hospice and palliative medicine, reflecting new models of care delivery
Health Equity Update*
ABIM remains firmly committed to advancing health equity, as reflected in a joint statement by the ABIM Board of Directors and the ABIM Foundation Board of Trustees dated June 2025. ABIM 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 assessment strategies. ABIM also maintains collaborations with medical specialty societies working to advance health equity. During this session, staff highlighted both the progress achieved and the challenges that remain in ABIM’s ongoing health equity efforts.
Update from AAHPM*
Pierre M. Désy, MPH, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of AAHPM, and Julie Bruno, MSW, LCSW, Chief Learning Officer, provided an update on AAHPM’s recent activities, membership, leadership changes, research, advocacy and educational initiatives.
Mr. Desy addressed concerns about the projected decline in the hospice and palliative medicine workforce, explaining that AAHPM is actively advocating for workforce development and pipeline strategies. Ms. Bruno highlighted the success of the Next Gen Scholars Program, which brings diverse early-career professionals into the field. She emphasized the program’s commitment to involving rural and underrepresented communities.
Nutrition in Assessment*
The Advisory Committee discussed the role of nutrition in patient care and assessment, emphasizing the importance of basing decisions to expand nutrition content in ABIM exams on sound scientific principles. Currently, the nutritional content in assessments varies across specialties.
Discussion focused on the difficulty physicians face in deciding when to prioritize nutrition as a quality-of-life issue versus viewing it through the lens of clinical management, such as in cases of dysphagia or dementia. They also discussed the question of artificial nutrition practices and their alignment with hospice recommendations. Dr. Brook reflected on differences in pediatric settings, where physiological and cultural connections between nutrition and growth and development can be at odds with a child’s specific nutritional needs in the context of their chronic condition.
Dr. Hays emphasized the importance of communication skills in conversations about artificial hydration and nutrition. Ms. Bruno added that many registered dieticians in academic centers feel unprepared to engage with hospice populations, underscoring the need for better interdisciplinary education.
Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME) Pilot Special Consideration Pathway to Board Eligibility for Exceptionally Qualified IMGs
Erica N. Johnson, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Senior Vice President for Academic and Medical Affairs at ABIM, presented updates on the new competency-based medical education pathway for exceptionally qualified IMGs, which launched after approval by ABMS in June 2025.
Dr. Johnson clarified that the pathway would only be available to physicians who meet the internal medicine training requirement and complete training in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited fellowship. Addressing concerns about making sure HPM fellowships within family medicine departments are aware of the program, Dr. Johnson noted that the announcement reached a broad audience through targeted outreach to program directors, a blog post, and dissemination across 84 societies partners engaged in stakeholder vetting.
Early Career Physician Engagement
Over the last year, ABIM has engaged significantly with early career physicians through summits and convenings to gather input on ABIM’s programs and better understand their experience of certification and continuing certification.
Dr. Dingfield observed that confusion around Maintenance of Certification and continuing medical education requirements remains a challenge for multi-certification holders and those from qualifying boards. Others raised concerns about variability in exam costs among cosponsoring boards. Staff noted that ABA recently launched a Resident Advisory Council that could serve as a model for ABIM.
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Are you ABIM Board Certified and interested in getting involved? Apply to openings on ABIM Governance and the Item-Writing Task Forces and be part of shaping the future of ABIM’s assessments. Physicians certified by the cosponsoring and qualifying boards may also apply for openings on the Approval Committees. Join the Community Insights Network to share feedback with ABIM through focus groups, surveys, user testing and more.
*Indicates that society representatives were present for discussion on this agenda topic.
