Pneumonia Quality Measures
A board-certified physician has completed an approved educational
training program and an evaluation process including an examination designed
to assess the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to provide quality
patient care in that specialty. A specialty certificate is issued by a medical
specialty certifying board, which is valid nationwide. Although certification
is not required for an individual physician to practice medicine, most hospitals
and managed care organizations require that at least a certain percentage of
their staff are "board certified." Today approximately 89 percent
of licensed physicians are certified by one or more ABMS Member Boards (American
Board of Medical Specialties).
St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center requires board certification for all physicians in the following
medical specialties:
- Emergency Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Critical Care Medicine