Primary Source Information
The American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery (ABFAS) is the only foot and ankle surgery certification board recognized by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME) through the Specialty Boards Recognition Committee (SBRC).
In accordance with standards published by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and The Joint Commission, ABFAS conducts primary source verification of the podiatric medical school graduation, residency training completion, and state licensure for each ABFAS certified and board qualified podiatric surgeon.
The ABFAS verification report provides information about the DPM’s podiatric medical school graduation, completion of residency training, state licensure, and the DPM’s current board status and type and when that status was achieved and will expire.
Type
Certified: Ambulatory, Foot and Ankle Surgery, Foot, Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle (RRA)
Qualified: Foot, Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle (RRA)
Important notice:
ABFAS is transitioning its ten-year Maintenance of Certification programs to the new LEAD program of Continuous Certification in 2022. This program replaces the former Recertification and Self-Assessment examinations. To allow for the transition to LEAD for Diplomates whose certificate(s) expire in 2021 or 2022, ABFAS has approved the following certification extensions:Diplomates certified in Foot Surgery and/or Reconstructive Rearfoot/Ankle (RRA) Surgery, whose Foot and/or RRA Surgery certificate expires August 31, 2021, and who are meeting all requirements of their certification have been granted a three-year extension of their certification until August 31, 2024. Their status will show as “Certified – Extension,” with the expiration date August 31, 2024.
Status
Active: Engaged in the active practice of podiatry; has fulfilled all relevant requirements.
Administrative: Engaged primarily in an administrative capacity directly related to the profession of podiatry.
Expired: A board qualified or certified podiatric surgeon whose status has expired.
Extension (Board Qualified): A board-qualified podiatric surgeon who has received an extension for the time period they can be qualified.Extension (Board Certified): A Diplomate certified after 1990 who is meeting all requirements of their certification and has been granted a three-year extension of their certification due to the cancellation of the 2021 Recertification examinations.
Inactive: Not engaged in the active practice of podiatry.
Incomplete: A podiatric surgeon who has taken and passed the ABFAS Board Qualification examinations but has not submitted the necessary documentation to become fully qualified.
No Board Status: A podiatric surgeon who has graduated from, or is in their final year of, a CPME-approved residency program and who has not achieved ABFAS board status.
Non-Compliant: A podiatric surgeon who has taken the necessary ABFAS Board Qualification examinations but did not submit all the required documentation within one year of passing the board qualification examinations. A board-certified podiatric surgeon holding foot and ankle certified status who is not compliant with ABFAS Maintenance of Certification (MOC) requirements.
Surgically Inactive: Engaged in the active practice of podiatry but no longer has an active foot and ankle surgical practice.
Suspended: A board qualified or certified podiatric surgeon whose Foot status has expired and who has met the requirements for RRA qualification or certification. The Foot status must be active in order for the RRA status to be active as well.
Resigned: Has voluntarily given up certification.
Retired: An ABFAS Diplomate who has retired from active practice.
Revoked:
Administrative: Unrelated to any professional review action (e.g., non-payment of annual fee or special assessment).
Legal: Upon professional review related to any of the following possibilities: misrepresents certification status or provides false information to ABFAS, has cheated on any ABFAS exam, or violates the Code of Ethics of the APMA, conviction of either a felony related to the delivery of a healthcare item or service or any offense that causes their license revocation.
Please contact our verifications department if you have additional questions regarding suspended or revoked status.
NOTE: DPMs holding Board Qualification status are Board Eligible.
College Graduation: Physicians must graduate from a four-year podiatric medical college accredited by the Council on Podiatric Medical Education (CPME).
Residency Information: For physicians who were required to complete CPME-approved residency training, the sponsoring institution is listed in addition to the program type and the year completed.
License Information: ABFAS verifies the physician’s state podiatric license(s) upon application. Please contact the respective state for questions about the physician’s podiatric license status