Professional standards in the USA: overview and new developments

The USA and the UK are both expe- riencing dramatic changes in the management and regulation of physician practice. While the USA and the UK share a commitment to evidence- based medicine and maintain traditions in how medicine is practised, the healthcare delivery sys- tems and the process and approaches to profes- sional management in the two countries are quite different. This article describes the process of the initial certification of graduating medical trainees and the approach to maintenance of certification among practising physicians in the USA, with a focus on new developments in board certification and their link to healthcare quality and public accountability.