National Credentialing Forum Update February 8, 2019 Copyright © 2018 by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. All rights reserved.
IMGs comprise about 25% of US Physician Workforce ECFMG Overview IMGs comprise about 25% of US Physician Workforce US-Based Programs ECFMG Certification – 20,000 Applicants per year J-1 Visa Sponsorship Program – 12,000 physicians per year Domestic Credentials Services (FCVS)– 5,800 verifications per year International Programs EPIC & International Credentials Services – 31,000 verifications per year Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Education & Research (FAIMER®)
Certification Verification Service (CVS) Confirmation Report includes: Whether an individual is ECFMG certified; Date the certificate was issued and the date(s) through which the certificate remains valid for the purpose of entry into graduate medical education; Date of most recently passed CSA; and Name of medical school, medical school country, and degree year. Satisfies The Joint Commission's requirement for primary-source verification of IMGs medical education. Fee = $50 (January 2019)
Updates Required use of NotaryCam.com for Certification of Identity Forms Effective September 2018 ECFMG Accreditation Requirement Beginning 2023 to be eligible for ECFMG Certification, applicants must graduate from a medical school that has been accredited by an agency that has been recognized by the World Federation for Medical Education
Accreditation 2023 ECFMG physician reports to GME programs, employers, state boards, and medical regulatory authorities will include a statement on the accreditation status of the medical school. For example, “This medical school was accredited in [Year] by an organization recognized by WFME.”
ECFMG’s Primary Source Verification During the past 30 years, ECFMG has verified more than 850,000 credentials. 1986—ECFMG began verifying credentials with the issuing institution 2004—ECFMG began offering its primary-source verification services to international medical regulatory authorities, expanding over the past decade. 2013—ECFMG launched the Electronic Portfolio of International Credentials (EPIC), a platform for providing primary-source verification services to organizations and physicians worldwide.
EPIC Services For Physicians For Organizations Build a digital career portfolio of the credentials related to their medical education, training, and registration/licensure Physicians upload credentials to their portfolio, have those credentials primary-source verified by ECFMG, and request reports verifying the authenticity of those credentials Receive EPIC Reports verifying authenticity of credentials through secure portal No cost to the organization Current Clients: Australia Canada Denmark Ireland Nigeria New Zealand Norway South Africa Swaziland United Kingdom Among others
PGT Credentials Verified Through EPIC EPIC represents an expansion of ECMFG’s PSV services to a broader audience In addition to medical school credentials, through EPIC, ECFMG has the ability to verify post graduate training credentials leading to specialist certification and licensure. Copyright © 2017 by ECFMG. All rights reserved.
Questions? Mark Malachesky, Manager, ECFMG Certification, Examination, and Records Support Services mmalachesky@ecfmg.org