ABIM Presents New Self-Assessment Option for Physicians Treating Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

(Philadelphia, PA) – To assist physicians treating patients with Chronic Kidney Disease, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) offers a new self-assessment tool to examine the care they provide patients with the disease. Chronic Kidney Disease is a progressive loss in renal function that occurs over a period of months or years. Twenty-six million adult Americans suffer from this chronic disease.

The Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Practice Improvement Module (PIM) is a Web-based tool that guides physicians through the collection of patient data to identify gaps in Chronic Kidney Disease care and ultimately implement a quality improvement plan for their practice.

Nephrologists can use the Chronic Kidney Disease module to earn CME and meet the requirements of the ABIM Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program . As part of MOC, ABIM requires board certified physicians to re-assess their medical knowledge and engage in quality improvement activities every 10 years.

"The Chronic Kidney Disease module is a valuable tool that will help nephrologists improve the quality of care they provide," says Eric Holmboe, MD, Chief Medical Officer of the American Board of Internal Medicine. "The feedback the physicians receive will provide essential data that will enable them to examine and evaluate their care."

Some of the symptoms of Chronic Kidney Disease include fatigue, poor appetite, and muscle cramping and an excessive need to urinate, especially at night. Two leading causes of Chronic Kidney Disease are diabetes and high blood pressure.

About ABIM
For 75 years, certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has stood for the highest standard in internal medicine and its 19 subspecialties and has meant that internists have demonstrated – to their peers and to the public – that they have the clinical judgment, skills and attitudes essential for the delivery of excellent patient care. ABIM is not a membership society, but a non-profit, independent evaluation organization. Our accountability is both to the profession of medicine and to the public. ABIM is a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties . For additional updates, follow ABIM on Facebook .