Original articleWho Claims to Be a Pediatrician?
Section snippets
States
Two states were randomly selected from each region of the United States (North, South, East and West). Eligibility for state selection was determined by a state both (1) having physician specialty designation on its licensure file and (2) being willing to sell its physician licensure roster for research purposes. Thus, state licensure data were obtained from eight states: North: Ohio and Wisconsin; South: Texas and Mississippi; East: Massachusetts and Maryland; and West: Oregon and Arizona.
Matching Results
Table I shows the absolute number and proportion of individuals found in the licensure file of each state who are identified as pediatricians (generalist or subspecialist) and who were ever board certified by the ABP. The proportion of unmatched pediatricians ranges from 6.9% in Massachusetts to 16.8% in Maryland, and it averages 11% across all of the states in our study.
Survey Response Rate
Of the 500 surveys mailed, 102 recipients were either retired, deceased, did not provide care to children, or had an
Discussion
We were unable to verify that 11% of physicians who are listed as, or have declared themselves as, pediatricians on state licensure files have ever been board certified by the ABP. There is also a wide range in the number of such physicians among the states examined, from 6.9% to 16.8%. Until this study was conducted, there had not been a data-driven estimate of the proportion of those reporting to be pediatricians in a given state who have ever been board certified. With increasing attention
References (7)
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- Forbes.com. February 21, 2006. Many hospitals don’t require board certification for pediatricians. Available at:...
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Cited by (2)
What Is a Pediatrician and Who Is Asking?
2007, Journal of Pediatrics