Internal Medicine Board Meeting Summary | Fall 2025
The Internal Medicine Board held its fall meeting on October 23, 2025. Representatives from the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM), the American College of Osteopathic Internists (ACOI), the American College of Physicians (ACP), the Society of General Internal Medicine (SGIM), and the Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) 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.
ABIM Leadership Update*
In a pre-recorded video message to the Internal Medicine Board, Furman S. McDonald, MD, MPH, President and CEO of ABIM and the ABIM Foundation, 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
- Advancing and expanding ABIM’s research strategy with the appointment of Eric J. Warm, MD, MACP, as the inaugural Vice President of Research Strategy
- Supporting early career physicians and international medical graduates (IMGs) with the needs-based certification exam fee assistance program and the competency-based medical education (CBME) special consideration pathway pilot for IMGs
- Recognizing 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
Erica N. Johnson, MD, FACP, FIDSA, Senior Vice President for Academic and Medical Affairs, led discussion on these topics with the Specialty Board. Stefanie Brown, MD, asked how much earlier physicians could begin the LKA if eligibility were to expand to before the assessment due year. Dr. Johnson clarified that offering early access would align with feedback on flexibility and predictability that ABIM has received from physicians to date, and that ABIM is still determining a framework for the pilot. She also noted that ABIM continues to use data to identify opportunities for improvement and ongoing evolution of the LKA and shared that forthcoming research demonstrates a correlation between LKA performance and patient outcomes.
Dr. Johnson stated that the Needs-Based Certification Exam Fee Assistance Pilot program has received strong early participation from internal medicine residents and positive feedback from program directors. Regarding the CBME special consideration pathway pilot for IMGs, Davoren Chick, MD, FACP, Senior Vice President, Medical Education at ACP, encouraged ABIM to track outcomes by residency accreditation status. At the same time, David Pizzimenti, DO, highlighted the importance of supporting candidates from programs with historically lower pass rates.
Diplomate Professional Profile*
The Internal Medicine Board 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 Specialty Boards understand what physicians are doing in practice.
ABIM staff asked for suggestions from the Specialty Board and society guests about modifications to the DPP that would add to the value of the information collected through completion of the survey. Specialty Board members supported developing survey bands to capture variation in hours worked and patient load, with Anjali Gupta, MD, MPH suggesting expanded options for hospitalist physicians to describe their practice . Nick Marzano, Chief of Strategy and Director of Education at SHM, proposed analyzing burnout risk among physicians exceeding 50 hours per week and using SHM benchmarks to identify safety thresholds.
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, ensuring assessments are fair and researching 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.
New Pilot Programs Discussion*
Dr. Johnson facilitated updates on the needs-based fee assistance and CBME special consideration pathway pilots.
Dr. Pizzimenti shared insights on reimbursement-based financial aid models within institutions, noting potential reporting complexities. Staff confirmed that the pilot’s selection process was iterative and would evolve based on the results of a program evaluation of the pilot.
Specialty Board members expressed appreciation for the transparency and rigor of ABIM’s new pilot processes and emphasized the need for continued attention to equity and clarity in communications about the pilot, particularly as it relates to eligibility criteria.
Quality Agenda in Internal Medicine*
Richard M. Wardrop III, MD, MACP, Chair of the Internal Medicine Board, guided members through small group discussions to define priorities for the Internal Medicine Quality Agenda, a requirement of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) for Member Boards. Each group considered specific issues in the areas of patient outcomes, workforce sustainability and health equity, that, if addressed, would improve the quality of care for patients.
Themes included supporting research on medication affordability, chronic disease prevention and clinician well-being, and fostering alignment with quality collaboratives. The Internal Medicine Board will synthesize and finalize feedback at the spring 2026 meeting for this first iteration of a Quality Agenda in Internal Medicine.
Nutrition in Assessment*
The Internal Medicine Board 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 nutrition content in assessments varies across specialties.
Dr. Johnson reiterated ABIM’s commitment to evidence-based assessment, noting that any considerations about the inclusion of additional nutrition content would be grounded in established science and physician practice data. The discussion highlighted ABIM’s broader goal of ensuring that assessment content reflects the realities of modern internal medicine practice.
Society guests departed at this point in the meeting.
ABIM Approved Quality Improvement (AQI) Program
The AQI Program is the process by which ABIM recognizes externally developed quality improvement activities that physicians undertake in practice. It also allows physicians to earn up to 20 MOC points for meaningfully participating in activities that support their local improvement priorities. The Internal Medicine Board reviewed the following proposals and recommended them for approval:
- Increase Hypertension Blood Pressure-Controlled (HTN BP) Rates, Trinity Health IHA Medical Group: Keeping blood pressure below 140/90 has been shown to improve clinical outcomes among those with a diagnosis of HTN. This project seeks to enhance the rate of blood pressure-controlled HTN patients, an important quality metric. Dr. Brown reviewed and recommended the project.
- Focus on ME – Mental Health is Essential Health Quality Improvement Project, Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center: The goals and interventions of the initiative will improve the mental health of women of reproductive age by improving the identification of the percentage of women facing depression or anxiety, thus leading to the improved rate of women receiving appropriate care, resources and interventions. Dr. Pizzimenti reviewed and recommended the project.
After a brief discussion, the Internal Medicine Board voted to approve the AQI proposals for MOC credit. Any ABIM Board Certified physician who is a participant will be eligible to receive credit for these activities.
ABIM welcomes proposals from sponsors, including medical specialty societies, hospitals or hospital departments, medical groups, clinics or other health-related organizations, which wish to sponsor a single activity. Organizations with a quality improvement activity to submit to ABIM for MOC credit recognition are encouraged to take the following steps:
- Download the ABIM AQI Program Guide (PDF).
- Download and complete the AQI Application (PDF).
- Email completed applications to mocprograms@abim.org.
LKA Learning Study
Rebecca S. Lipner, Ph.D., Chief Assessment Science Officer, and Bradley Gray, Ph.D., Principal Health Services Researcher at ABIM, shared results from a study of LKA participants. They reported that 95% of physicians indicated they learned from the LKA, and 73% reported changes or intended changes in patient care. The study also found that physicians who performed less well as demonstrated through the progress report feedback reported that they were more motivated to study further.
Specialty Board members reflected positively on these findings, with Dr. Wardrop noting that the results reinforced the value of LKA as both an assessment and learning tool.
AI Innovations
ABIM’s Emerging Technologies team shared an overview of ongoing initiatives to improve efficiency, enhance assessment and create the next generation of evaluation tools. The team provided more detail on key initiatives: operational innovations, individualized learning pathway generators and competency model mapping. The Specialty Board engaged in an interactive discussion on how AI can enhance efficiency, blueprint design and personalized learning. Participants expressed enthusiasm for the potential of data-driven models to support meaningful physician learning and lifelong certification.
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*Indicates that society representatives were present for discussion of this agenda topic.
