ABFAS Response to the ABPM CAQ
Know the Difference Between ABFAS Board Certification and ABPM’s CAQ
The ABPM CAQ:
Is not recognized by CPME
CPME does not recognize CAQs, so there is no recognition process or body ensuring the ABPM CAQ in podiatric surgery meets professional certification standards. In addition, a surgery‑branded CAQ from the certification board recognized by CPME for the specialty areas of podiatric orthopedics and primary podiatric medicine can be misread by hospitals as equivalent to recognized board certification. ABFAS is the CPME‑recognized board for the specialty of podiatric surgery and uniquely verifies actual surgical experience through rigorous case review for every ABFAS diplomate.
Potentially confuses patients and the medical community.
APMA noted in its December 11, 2025 statement, “In recent years, Certificates of Added Qualification (CAQs) have been a topic of concern within the profession as they relate to board certification and hospital privileging and credentialing… CAQs are not equivalent to board certification or subspecialty certification, nor can they lead to certification or subspecialty certification in any specific content area.”
In its October 2025 statement, CPME states that it “does not recognize, accredit, or approve any Certificates of Added Qualifications (CAQs)” and that “CAQs are not equivalent to board or subspecialty certification.” When a CAQ in podiatric surgery is introduced outside the established framework, it can be mistaken for recognized surgical certifications, leading to confusion among patients and the medical community.
Threatens trust in the profession.
By offering its new surgical certification without recognition by any accrediting body, ABPM risks harming the trust patients and the healthcare community have in ABFAS Board Certified podiatrists. ABPM’s CAQ jeopardizes consistent messaging to the public and healthcare community that podiatric surgery is delivered according to established, understood, exacting standards (standards that ABFAS has met as the CPME-recognized podiatric surgical certifying body).
Recent ABFAS pass rate data clearly show that ABFAS is doing its job of certifying highly knowledgeable podiatrists for surgery. Neither the public nor the profession are served by ABPM offering a CAQ in podiatric surgery.
If you share our concerns, here is a text of a letter you can personalize and send to your hospital credentialing committee.