Physician Board Certification

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 be "board certified." Today approximately 89 percent of licensed physicians are certified by one or more ABMS Member Boards. (American Board of Medical Specialties ) There are many specialists included in the care of heart failure, including those in: emergency medicine, thoracic surgery, and internal medicine. Internal medicine includes sub-specialties of cardiology (both general and interventional) and electrophysiology. Each of these may be certified by a member board in their specialty.

Many people who have heart failure are initially treated by a physician specializing in emergency medicine, then by a general cardiologist. An interventional cardiologist (physician specializing in non-surgical procedures such as the balloon procedure/PTCA) is consulted if appropriate, as is a heart surgeon. If there are heart rhythm disturbances, then an electrophysiologist (cardiologist who specializes in the treatment of electrical conduction problems within the heart) may also be consulted. Critical care medicine physicians may be responsible for coordinating care in the intensive or coronary care unit setting if this level of care is needed.  Other specialists may consult for heart failure patients who have additional medical conditions or situations requiring specialized knowledge and skill.

Bloomington Hospital requires board certification for all physicians accepted to its medical staff after July 1, 1989.