07/03/2023    Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH

The Conflict between ABFAS & ABPM

I have been reading about the issues between our
two recognized boards. I am certified/recertified
by both ABFAS as RRA and ABPM for their CAQ in
sports medicine. I am also a recent grad from an
MPH program that had a course in mediation and
negotiation. Two books prompted me to purse this
degree, Paul Starr’s “Social Transformation of
American Medicine” and Isabelle Wilkerson’s
“Caste”. The first book is 500+ pages long,
chronicles U.S. medicine (and shows how history
repeats itself), and of note, there is no mention
of DPMs/podiatric medicine. There was a similar
conflict early in my career between the then ABPS
(ABFAS) and an ambulatory foot surgery board
(AAAFS). The second book depicts dominant castes in
societies including in medicine and how that can
affect health care outcomes. Patients ultimately
suffer from turf battles.

If both boards would like to certify podiatrists to
document their abilities and “protect” the public,
I would suggest they consider having a third-party
mediator without conflicts of interests and include
all stakeholders: providers with different
practices, patients, insurance companies,
politicians, medical boards and non-DPM medical
specialists. They should consider DPMs certified by
both boards opinions to help guide their future.
All other medical specialties have a board
certification in the main residency training
program and then sub-specialization such as
Certification of Added Qualification (CAQs). In
orthopedics, there is the American Board of
Orthopedic Surgery, and two CAQs: Sports Medicine
and Hand Surgery. For physiatry, there are CAQs in
pain and also in sports medicine, which is a CAQ
for primary care specialists as well.

I propose that ABPM certify DPMs for Podiatric
Medicine and ABFAS administer the CAQ for Foot and
Ankle Surgery. That way both boards can subsist
collegially and certify providers for what they
wish to specialize in. Our profession needs to
adapt soon, and I have discussed options for future
survival in lecture on “Present Podiatry”:
“Podiatry, Prejudice and possible solutions”.
https://www.podiatry.com/lecturehall/description/80
87/Podiatry-Prejudice-Possible-Solutions/solutions

Amol Saxena, DPM, MPH, Palo Alto, CA

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