The American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry was organized in 1986 by podiatrists for the purpose of granting board certification to office-based or ambulatory surgeons. Incorporated in 1986 as the American Institute of Foot Medicine (AIFM), the name was changed in 1992 to better reflect its mission.

The American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry is the only podiatric board accredited and approved by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), an accreditation division of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).

Background information on NCCA and the Executive Summary of requirements for accreditation is available by request. NCCA boasts such founding members as Health Insurance Association of America (HIAA) as well as the American Hospital Association (AHA). HIAA was a founding member of NCCA and strongly supports the value and validity of NCCA and its accredited programs. AHA strongly supports voluntary certification programs that are meaningful and valid and has been involved with NCCA since its inception as the National Commission for Health Certifying Agencies. AHA believes that NCCA criteria help ensure that approved agencies meet prescribed standards for certification programs. NCCA approval means that the agency has met prescribed standards to assess the quality of its certification process. Standards include administrative independence, periodic review of evaluation mechanisms, valid and reliable examinations, a disciplinary process, and periodic recertification. Emphasis is placed on examinations that relate to job content.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) was instrumental in the development of the NCCA approval process to promote the establishment and recognition of credible and meaningful certification programs in the private sector. The American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry is the only podiatric certifying board accredited by NCCA. NCCA is the only national independent organization that approves and accredits certifying boards in the United States in the field of allied health care professionals. NCCA currently approves approximately thirty-two (32) national certifying boards in the health professions, and it has a membership of over seventy (70) national organizations. These certifying boards include a wide range of disciplines in allied health care. The American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry was the first invasive board in Podiatric Medicine and Podiatric Surgery to have attained approval on the national level by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. NCCA accreditation of The American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry demands administrative independence thereby preventing any outside agency from dictating policy.

On November 2, 2001, at a public meeting held by the Board of Podiatric Medicine in Los Angeles, BPM voted unanimously to approve the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry as a specialty certifying board. American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry diplomates licensed in California may now advertise its certifications.

Under Section 651(h)(5)(C) of the California Business and Professions Code, the Board found that the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry has "equivalent requirements" to the two specialty boards currently approved by CPME. The Board’s vote was based on a careful review and site visit by its Professional Practice Committee, professional staff research, and a conclusive analysis by Norman R. Hertz, Ph.D., chief of the Department of Consumer Affairs’ Office of Examination Resources.

Prior to approval, BPM requested that the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry substantiate its qualifications as a specialty certifying board in several areas of interest.

About - Contact Us