Profession
Board expands specialties eligible for addiction medicine certification
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted July 6, 2009
The American Board of Addiction Medicine, a medical specialty created in 2007, has started to certify addiction medicine physicians from several specialties, including internal medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, preventive medicine and neurology. (See correction)
Previously, addiction-related certification by the board was available only to psychiatrists. "We want addiction prevention, screening, intervention and treatment to become routine aspects of medical care, available virtually any place health care is provided," Jeffrey H. Samet, MD, MPH, president-elect of the ABAM, said in a statement. (See correction below)
The intent of the specialty is to create thousands of physicians across medical specialties who are well-prepared to diagnose and treat alcoholism and other drug-use disorders, ABAM President Kevin B. Kunz, MD, said in a statement.
Note: This article should have stated that the American Board of Addiction Medicine, a medical specialty board created in 2007, has started to certify addiction medicine physicians from several specialties. The article also should have stated that addiction-related certification previously was available only to psychiatrists. American Medical News regrets the error.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/07/06/prbf0706.htm.
