Of the profession, by the profession, and for patients, families, and communities: ABMS board certification and medicine's professional self-regulation.

Specialty board certification is a longstanding component of the US medical profession’s system of collective self-regulation. Although processes for board certification have changed over the years to match advancing medical practice and expanding public expectations of accountability, board certification has demonstrated to the public, the profession, colleagues, and the individual physician that certified specialists meet high specialtyspecific standards of education, expertise, and character.ThisViewpointdescribestheroleofboardcertification in collective professional self-regulation, current challenges and future directions.