Practice Exam & Study Guide Maintenance October 5th & 6th
The ABFAS Online Study Guide and CBPS Practice Exam will be down for maintenance starting at 8:00 am Pacific Time on Thursday, October 5th.
These services will be up and running again at 8:00 am Pacific Time on Friday, October 6th.
No other part of the ABFAS website will be affected.
If you need assistance, please contact us M - F 7:00 am - 5:00 pm Pacific Time, at 415.553.7800 or info@abfas.org
ABFAS In-training Exam in Florida and Georgia
Due to the current Hurricane Irma evacuations, Pearson VUE has closed some centers in Florida and Georgia for Monday and Tuesday, September 11 and 12, 2017.
We are concerned first and foremost with your safety and want to ensure that you are able to take the exam in a calm environment. We will be extending the testing window to September 30, 2017 for all candidates impacted by the hurricane. If you have temporarily relocated to another state, you will be able to take your exam there.
To reschedule your exam, please login to your ABFAS profile on abfas.org and select ‘Schedule Exam with Pearson VUE’ on the left-hand side. This will direct you to the Pearson VUE website where you will be able to reschedule your exam at any available time through September 30th 2017.
If you have been impacted and need assistance to reschedule your exam for later in the month, please contact our office via email at scheduling@abfas.org or by phone at 1.415.852.2975.
Stay safe.
Texas Podiatry Hurricane Relief Fund Launches
The Texas Podiatric Medical Association (TPMA) has set-up a “Podiatry Hurricane Relief Fund”. This fund is specific to the profession of podiatry, with all donations going to podiatrists, their families and their staff who are affected by Hurricane Harvey.
The TPMA, which has over 200 members in the affected area, was moved to create the fund after hearing the accounts of podiatrists who suffered tremendous damage to their homes and offices. It may take them years to rebuild and FEMA has stated that it may take up to five years for the region to fully recover.
The organization has set-up a community blog to help members connect and share resources (such as donating/sharing office space and supplies).
The TPMA will gratefully accept any donation you can make to support the podiatric profession. The fund is accepting donations through YouCaring.com Their goal is to raise at least $200,000 in the next six weeks. You can make a contribution on their donation page.
Looking for Ways to Help People Affected by Hurricane Harvey?
The information below is from the APMA website:
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has temporarily suspended all necessary statutes and rules to allow licensed health-care providers employed by a hospital and in good standing in another state to practice in Texas to assist with disaster response operations. This suspension is in effect until terminated by the Office of the Governor or until the Hurricane Harvey disaster declaration is lifted or expires. Hospitals must submit to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) by email each out-of-state provider's name, license type, state of licensure, and license identification number.
TDLR licenses the following health-care providers:
• Athletic trainers
• Dietitians
• Dyslexia therapists and practitioners
• Hearing instrument fitters and dispensers
• Midwives
• Orthotists and prosthetists
• Podiatrists (effective September 1, 2017)
• Speech-language pathologists and audiologists
If you have questions or need assistance, call TDLR at 800-803-9202 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CDT or email Harvey@tdlr.texas.gov
Registration is now open for Part I Foot and RRA, Didactic and CBPS Exams
Registration ends: Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Exam date: Tuesday, October 17, 2017
You can register and pay for your exam now. To get started, sign in to the ABFAS website with your ABFAS username and password. If you have forgotten your username or password, please click here.
After you have signed on, click on "Register for an Exam" on the left-hand side and follow the steps to select and pay for your exam. You will then be registered for your exam and able to schedule your exam with Pearson VUE.
You MUST SCHEDULE your exam time/location via the Pearson VUE website. Your registration will not be complete until you have scheduled your exam. Details on how to schedule your exam will be emailed to you immediately after you have registered.
ABFAS Board Elects New Officers
At its July meeting, the Board of Directors elected the new officers who will start their terms on September 1, 2017. Matthew Williams, DPM steps into his President role; Danny Choung, DPM is the new President-elect; Keith Jacobson, DPM will be Secretary/Treasurer; and Mindy Benton, DPM, transitions to Immediate Past-president.
Christopher Lotufo, DPM, will be ending his term as Immediate-Past President on September 1, 2017. ABFAS would like to thank Dr. Lotufo for his work with the Board. We appreciate his diligence and dedication during his terms as President (2015-2016) and Immediate-Past President (2016-2017) and board member (2011-2017).
A Step Forward for the VA Provider Equity Act
The VA Provider Equity Act, HR 1058, took another step forward as it passed the Full House Committee on July 24th. The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) is working to find a sponsor to push the bill through the Senate.
The VA Provider Equity Act would result in the Veterans Health Administration System recognizing Doctors of Podiatric Medicine (DPMs) as physicians and make podiatrists equal to their physician peers in terms of pay and eligibility for promotion and leadership positions.
Congressman Brad Wenstrup, who is ABFAS board-certified and serves as the Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee, is the bill’s primary sponsor. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) are supporting the bill.
The VA’s current qualifications for podiatrists have not been updated since 1976 and have led to a disparity in recognition and pay when compared to the podiatrists who practice outside of the VA system. This disparity has resulted in difficulty recruiting and retaining podiatrists and a resulted in a lack of podiatric access for veterans who need care.
ABFAS is pleased about this successful move forward for VA podiatrists and the veterans who could benefit from increased access to foot and ankle care.
Watch Congressman Brad Wenstrup present the bill to the House.
ABFAS Changes Certification Deadlines
ABFAS is pleased to announce a change to our board certification deadlines. The change is a result of a recent agreement we made with the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) and the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM).
In 2013, due to changes with how CMS reimbursed residency programs, the Joint Committee on the Recognition of Specialty Boards (JCRSB) asked the two certifying boards to change their policies regarding access to board certification for graduates of residency programs with less than three years of training. Both certifying boards implemented a 2018 board certification deadline for those graduates. Because of this recent agreement, ABFAS has extended the deadline to 2020.
How does this affect you?
Candidates without ABFAS Board Qualified status have until December 31, 2018 to complete the ABFAS board qualification and 2020 to complete certification. If your qualification has expired, you may apply for requalification; however, any requalification may not extend beyond December 31, 2020. Please refer to this timeline for details.
Candidates with Board Qualified status may pursue board certification until December 31, 2020. Please refer to this timeline for details.
Brochure Helps Patients Understand Value of Board Certification
ABFAS offers a tri‐fold brochure to help patients understand the extensive training involved in board certification. The brochure fits in standard literature displays.
Download our patient brochure order form.
ABFAS Diplomates Elect New Members to Board of Directors
Congratulations and welcome to the three new members of the ABFAS Board of Directors; D. Martin Chaney (incumbent), Jeffrey Giesking, and John Thomas Marcoux.
Three director positions were open for the 2017 election. Dr. Chaney was re-elected to a second three-year term, while Drs. Giesking and Marcoux were elected to new three-year terms. The terms become effective September 1, 2017 and end on August 31, 2020. Drs. Giesking and Marcoux will then be eligible to be nominated for re-election.
We also want to thank all ABFAS members who took the time to vote. Of the 6,976 Diplomates eligible to vote, 1,607 responded, indicating a return of 23.04%, a rate similar to that of previous elections.
Important ABFAS Deadlines
Important deadlines are in effect for candidates who completed a CPME-approved residency of less than three years, but are not yet ABFAS certified. As there are a number of steps candidates will need to take in order to complete the process by then, we want to make sure that you are aware of them.
Candidates
without ABFAS Board Qualified status have until December 31,
2018 to complete the ABFAS board qualification and
2020 to complete certification. Please refer to this
timeline for details.
If your qualification has expired, you may apply for requalification; however, any requalification may not extend beyond December 31,
2020.
Document 110 provides additional details about the process.
Candidates
with Board Qualified status may pursue board certification until December 31,
2020. Please refer to this
timeline for details.
Video: Tips for Success on the CBPS Exam
Dr. John Venson has created a
short video to answer frequently asked questions about how to successfully navigate the CBPS exam. Note: You must log-in to view the video.
The Steps to Certification
ABFAS President Dr. Mindy Benton gives an overview of the certification process and answers commonly asked questions. Watch the certification overview video below.