Public Comment Period Opens for New CV Medicine Board

The effort to create an independent medical board for the initial and continuing certification of physicians in cardiovascular medicine has taken another step forward, with the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) opening a 3-month public comment period this week as it continues to review the application.

The period officially opened Wednesday and will run through July 24, allowing input through the ABMS website from anyone who wants to weigh in on the new board. The full formal application can be found there, too.

The effort to create an American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM) was announced in September 2023 by the American College of Cardiology, the Heart Failure Society of America, the Heart Rhythm Society, and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions. The American Heart Association joined a month later, bringing the total number of founding societies on the formal application to five.

The push stems from years of dissatisfaction with how the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the largest board under the ABMS umbrella, has handled the continuing certification of physicians in cardiovascular medicine and other specialties.

Along with news of the open comment period, the cardiology societies also announced the first 10 members of the board of directors that will usher the ABCVM toward a formal launch, assuming all goes well with the ABMS application review. Another five directors will be announced soon.

“The open comment period is the time for cardiovascular physicians, allies in other medical specialties, patients, and others to make their voices heard on why an independent CV board is the best path for cardiologists to stay up-to-date on best practices and evidence-based care, ensuring patients receive the best possible care,” Jeffrey Kuvin, MD (Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY), president of the proposed board’s new board of directors, said in a statement. “The field of cardiovascular medicine has evolved dramatically over the past few decades; now is the right time to develop an independent cardiovascular board.”

The ABMS hasn’t admitted a new board since 1991, when the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics got the green light.