Board Votes for HIV Certification

A subspecialty board of the American Board of Internal Medicine on March 23 unanimously endorsed the establishment of a Certificate of Added Qualification in HIV Medicine, a major step in creating an official HIV specialty designation for physicians. The ABIM executive committee, the ABIM board of directors, and the American Board of Medical Specialties must now approve the specialty proposal for it to take effect; the ABIM executive committee was expected to address the certification proposal at its June meeting. If approved, the specialty certificate would be given to internal medicine residents who receive one year of training in HIV medicine from an accredited training program and pass a rigorous exam. Current internists already offering HIV care would be able to substitute their clinical experience for the training component of the certification process. The proposal to create an HIV specialty designation is backed by the HIV Medicine Association, a group of 2,600 physicians and other health care providers who treat HIV patients. HIV Plus reported on the efforts to create an HIV specialist credential in the magazine's May 2004 issue. Click through to read Doctor-Patient Privilege.