ABFM Offers Hospice CAQ, Seeks Approval for Sleep Medicine CAQ

Board-certified family physicians may obtain a certificate of added qualifications, or CAQ, in hospice and palliative care beginning in 2008 and soon also may be able to acquire a CAQ in sleep medicine, according to announcements from the American Board of Family Medicine. Each CAQ would have educational, training and examination requirements; would be valid for 10 years; and could be renewed.

The ABFM recently gained approval from the American Board of Medical Specialties, or ABMS, to join nine other specialty boards in offering the hospice and palliative medicine CAQ. "Physicians who choose to become certified in hospice and palliative medicine are formally showing their commitment to providing quality care in assessing and managing the physical, psychological and spiritual suffering faced by patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families," said Stephen Miller, M.D., M.P.H., ABMS president and CEO, in a Dec. 1 ABFM announcement.

Another Dec. 1 announcement says the ABFM is requesting approval from the ABMS to co-sponsor the sleep medicine CAQ with four other specialty boards. The ABFM "realizes the essential need for primary care physicians in the field of sleep medicine," said James Puffer, M.D., ABFM president and CEO, in the announcement. "By offering certification in sleep medicine, we hope to encourage the development of more family physicians interested in addressing the growing health epidemic of disordered sleep," Puffer added.

The ABFM announcement regarding the sleep medicine CAQ refers to an IOM report published April 4, Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation: An Unmet Public Health Problem. An online description of the report estimates that 50 million to 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder.

"The IOM report called for a greater role for primary care doctors in screening and treating sleep disorders. It has become clear in recent years that a number of health problems, regularly treated by family physicians, are strongly impacted by sleep disorders, including cardiovascular disease, chronic pain syndromes and mood disorders," said the ABFM announcement.

The ABMS may consider the sleep medicine CAQ request in March, and the ABFM may be able to offer the CAQ exam as early as 2008, Puffer told the AAFP.

The ABFM already offers CAQs in geriatric medicine, sports medicine and adolescent medicine. For more information on the new CAQ in hospice and palliative care and the proposed CAQ in sleep medicine, call the ABFM Help Desk at (877) 223-7437.