Dear Credentialing Committee Chair:

As the chair of the committee responsible for granting surgical privileges to physicians, I know that you consider a variety of factors to ensure a strong professional staff and positive patient outcomes. Given that board certification is one of the many factors you weigh, a recent development in the podiatric field merits your attention as it could present a potential risk to patient safety. 

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) and Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) have long recognized that there are two distinct podiatric specialties in which to be board certified: medicine and surgery. 

Recognized boards require graduation from a CPME-accredited college of podiatric medicine, completion of a CPME-approved, three-year residency, and completion of a comprehensive examination process. CPME recognizes the American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM) as the certifying board for non-surgical podiatric medicine, including orthotics, dermatology and biomechanics of the foot and ankle. 

Importantly, the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) is the only certifying board recognized by CPME for the specialty area of podiatric surgery. 

Over 10,000 podiatric surgeons have earned ABFAS Board Certification by demonstrating specialized competency and skill in foot and ankle surgery. ABFAS Board Certification is a rigorous two-step process that includes a comprehensive surgical case review to confirm diplomates have the clinical experience and surgical skill required for Board Certification. ABFAS is the only certification board in podiatry that undertakes this review of a surgeon’s skill.

The American Board of Podiatric Medicine (ABPM) is now offering what it calls a “Certificate of Added Qualification (CAQ) in Podiatric Surgery,” that falls outside the profession’s established framework for specialty certification. Several leading podiatric organizations – including the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, Council on Podiatric Medical Education, and the American Podiatric Medical Association – have raised concerns about ABPM’s CAQ and the potential harm it may cause among patients and hospitals due to it being unknown and potentially lacking in its validity and credibility.

As APMA noted in its December 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 addition, CPME does not recognize, accredit, or approve any CAQs. This position remains unchanged and consistent with CPME’s longstanding practice.

I am invested in the success of this hospital and care deeply about the patients we serve. That is why I believe board certification should be reflective of high standards (including rigorously measuring them) and carry significant weight when granting surgical privileges. I respectfully submit that it would be in the best interests of patients for the hospital to require ABFAS certification (or an established equivalent) for podiatric surgeons, though I recognize that the hospital must make its own decision based upon relevant factors. With that in mind, it is important for patients, providers, the broader medical community, and especially the members of this committee to understand the differences between ABFAS Board Certification in foot and ankle surgery and ABPM’s unrecognized CAQ in podiatric surgery. The two are not comparable credentials.

ABFAS has posted additional information online about the difference between ABFAS Board Certification and ABPM’s CAQ. I encourage you to review this page and contact me directly if you have any questions or concerns about this matter.