The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, self-appointed physician-evaluation organization that certifies physicians practicing internal medicine and its subspecialties. The American Board of Internal Medicine is not a membership society, educational institution, or licensing body. History The American Board of Internal Medicine was established on February 28, 1936, by the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians to issue certification to physicians. In 1989, ABIM began requiring maintenance of certification (MOC) examinations every 10 years for continued board certification. ABIM is the largest of 24 member certifying boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. The American Board of Internal Medicine categorizes physicians into one or more of its 20 subspecialties based on training and the passing of a standardized exam, namely: Adolescent Medicine Adult Congenital Heart Disease Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant Cardiology Cardiovascular Disease Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Intensive care medicine Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism Gastroenterology Geriatric Medicine Hematology Hospice & Palliative Care Hospital Medicine Infectious Disease Interventional Cardiology Medical Oncology Nephrology Pulmonary Disease Rheumatology Sleep Medicine Transplant Hepatology The certification exams' "blueprints" for each of these specialties can be found at their website. The current president and chief executive officer of the American Board of Internal Medicine is Richard J. Baron. The American Board of Internal Medicine adopted a governance structure that consists of three entities, namely a Board of Directors, ABIM Council, and Specialty Boards. Certification American Board of Internal Medicine Board Certification demonstrates that physicians have completed a residency in a specified medical specialty and have passed a rigorous knowledge assessment exam. Additionally, certification encompasses the six general competencies established by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Following regulations established by the American Board of Medical Specialties, in order to be certified, a physician must: Complete the requisite predoctoral medical education Meet the training requirements Meet the licensure requirements and procedural requirements Pass a secure board certification examination Physicians may become board certified when they have successfully completed residency or fellowship training and by passing a secure examination. Unlike licensure, board certification is not a requirement to practice medicine. Many hospitals require internists to be board certified in order to have admitting privileges, and many health plans require certification for contracting or eligibility for select networks. The American Board of Internal Medicine asserts that there is a growing body of research that suggests: A physician's ability to independently