10/11/06

The American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) announces that a California judge ruled against a decision by the California Medical Board, granting equivalency status to practitioners board-certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery (ABCS) in the state of California.
 
The decision will allow practitioners board-certified in aesthetic surgery to advertise their certification by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, just as those who practice specialties recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. The court determined that the ABCS’s certification requirements meet or exceed the training requirements maintained by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS).
 
"This Board has spent several years and taken every step to assure its certification requirements meet or exceed the requirements maintained by the American Board of Medical Specialties," says Robert Jackson, MD, ABCS president. "The court was apparently the first to actually review and consider ABCS’s certification requirements. The California Medical Board certainly did not. I believe and hope this decision and the recognition that ABCS’s certification requirements meet or exceed those of other ABMS boards will raise the bar for aesthetic surgeons. This can only lead to higher quality health care and greater patient safety."
 
It is suspected that the decision will lead the way for equivalency in other states and set a precedent for other states dealing with issues surrounding this topic.
 
[www.cosmeticsurgery.org, September 22, 2006]