October 28, 2019

In support of a recommendation from the APMA Board of Trustees and Council on Podiatric Medical Education, the 2019 APMA House of Delegates approved a resolution calling for a Blue Ribbon Panel to review and study the history, traditions, and current circumstances associated with the recognition of special areas of practice and recognition of certifying boards.

The mission of the Blue Ribbon Panel is:

To objectively and impartially consider whether more than one certifying board could be recognized in a unique area of practice, with regard to what is most appropriate for a medical profession, and specifically, the profession of podiatry.

The panel’s more specific charge is to:

1. evaluate all precepts that have been established by the profession with respect to how a specialty board becomes recognized and thus designated as the final and singular authority for certifying podiatrists in a unique area of practice;
2. compare and evaluate the specialty board recognition processes of other professions and the ways in which they are held accountable;
3. evaluate the extent to which consumers of podiatric services are impacted (positively and/or negatively) by how the podiatric profession establishes special areas of podiatric medical practice and recognizes independent boards to certify in those special areas of practice; and
4. obtain and evaluate legal opinion(s) about the long-standing requirement that precludes duplication of certification domains within APMA-recognized specialty boards.

The panel has been meeting periodically by conference call and will hold a face-to-face meeting on January 4 to receive testimony from interested parties. The interested parties that will be invited to testify before the panel include:

• American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery
• American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry
• American Board of Podiatric Medicine
• American Podiatric Medical Students’ Association
• Joint Committee on the Recognition of Specialty Boards

APMA-recognized clinical education affiliates also will be invited to submit written testimony. A general call for comments is now open to the profession at large. All written testimony must be received by December 6. If you wish to offer written testimony, send it to the attention of Jay Levrio, PhD.