Med Mal News

In response to reactions to its September, 2013 pronouncement that OB/GYN specialists certified by it were not permitted to treat male patients and could lose their certifications if they did so, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) recently reversed itself. In a Jan. 30 release describing ABOG's changed stance, the organization explained that the new definition of an obstetrician and gynecologist “eliminate[s] the requirement that ABOG-certified Diplomates treat only women and that they devote at least 75 percent of their practice to Obstetrics and Gynecology. Under the revised policy, Diplomates 'must devote the majority of their practice to the specialty of Obstetrics and Gynecology.'” Many had protested last year's new restrictions on their practices, noting that they sometimes were called upon to treat the male partners of women in their care, and that certain research studies involving both male and female participants appeared to be off-limits to Board-certified OB/GYNs.

ABOG's executive director, Dr. Larry Gilstrap, explained the reason for ABOG's about-face when he stated in the Board's Jan. 30 release that the issue of limiting members' practices to the treatment of women only “became a distraction to our mission to ensure that women receive high-quality and safe health care from certified obstetricians and gynecologists.”