2007 Recertification Results
Result letters for the 2007 Recertification process were sent to Diplomates by regular mail on Thursday, December 20, 2007. Certificates were mailed at the end of March 2008 to Diplomates.
Maintenance of Certification
In response to an initiative by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the ABTS began Mainenance of Certification® (MOC) in January 2008. MOC replaces the former Recertification Process. Detailed information about the MOC requirements can be found in the right-hand box on this page or Click Here.
MOC is intended to give the public assurance that certified specialty physicians are maintaining high standards of clinical care throughout their career. For that reason, the Board requires that all Diplomates, including those who were certified before 1976 and hold life-time certificates, participate in MOC.
Applications for the 2008 MOC process were mailed to all eligible Diplomates in February 2008. Eligible Diplomates are those individuals who certified in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
New Certification Pathways and Operative Requirements
In response to current practice patterns in Thoracic Surgery and to insure adequate preparation for contemporary Thoracic Surgery practice, the American Board of Thoracic Surgery has revised the standards required of individuals to qualify for entrance into its certification process. Starting in July 2007, the Board now has two primary pathways to certification, a Cardiothoracic Surgery Pathway and a General Thoracic Surgery Pathway. For more information on the new pathways and operative requirements, Click Here.
New Congenital Heart Surgery Certificate
An additional subspecialty certificate will be established for candidates who complete the Cardiothoracic Surgery Track and who plan to perform congenital cardiac surgery. For more information on the new Subspecialty Certificate in Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Click Here.
Certification Categories
As recommended by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the ABTS has recently redefined its clinically active and clinically inactive status. For a full description of these two categories, Click Here.