Medical director certification program has new name

The only certification program for medical directors in post-acute and long-term care (LTC) settings has been renamed.

The American Medical Directors Certification Program (AMDCP) now will be known as the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM). The board remains an affiliate organization of AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA) and will continue to administer the certified medical director (CMD) program. Current CMD certification and recertification requirements are unaffected by the name change.

“The board feels that the new name honors our mission of promoting the professional development of attending physicians in the post-acute/LTC setting, and at the same time, the critical contributions of medical directors in facilities,” ABPLM Chair Thomas Edmondson, MD, CMD, AGSF, FACP, said in a statement.

The name change is one of may recent or upcoming changes in the industry made to reflect the increasing prominence of post-acute care in the LTC continuum:

• AMDA altered its name in 2014.
• ABPLM changed its mission last year.
• In 2013, AMDA finalized a set of attending physician competencies, with an evidence-based framework for the unique set of knowledge and skills necessary to facilitate quality outcomes in post-acute and LTC.
• AMDA is developing an educational curriculum to support the aforementioned competencies.
• ABPLM is exploring the creation of an additional certification program for attending physicians as another avenue to enhance quality of care in post-acute/LTC settings.

Related content:

AMDA has new name, plans membership changes

AMDA launches competency benchmarks for LTC physicians

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