American Board of Family Medicine
Established in 1969 to serve the public, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) is a not-for-profit, private organization that provides independent assessment of the family physician qualifications.
As the trusted authority in board certification, the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) offers primary board certification in family medicine and Added Qualifications in Adolescent Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Pain Medicine, Sleep Medicine, and Sports Medicine.
We place the patient’s interest first by assessing family physicians against the highest standards of knowledge, professionalism, and ethics to support delivery of safe and high-quality care. In addition to maintaining these standards, physicians are accountable to a lifetime commitment of learning and professional development. ABFM Board Certification is different from medical licensing boards, which set the requirements that all physicians must meet in order to obtain and renew licenses to practice in their state.
With more than 50 years of experience, ABFM currently has over 100,000 board-certified family physicians. ABFM is the third largest of the 24 specialty boards that make up the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), with whom we work to establish common standards. With a shared responsibility to the health of the public, ABFM also collaborates with educators to identify high priority needs through assessments and other family medicine organizations to preserve the right to professional self-regulation in the specialty of family medicine.
With an unwavering commitment to a trusted certification process that is fair, reliable, accurate, and objective, we work daily to deliver on our promise to both the patient and the physician.