Rand Paul's ophthalmology certification not recognized by national clearinghouse
By Joseph Gerth
jgerth@courier-journal.com
June 14, 2010
U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul says he is a "board-certified" ophthalmologist -- even though the national clearinghouse for such certifications says he hasn't been for the past
five years.
Rand Paul, who practices in Bowling Green, says he is certified by the National Board of
Ophthalmology, a group that he incorporated in 1999 and that he heads.
But that entity is not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, which works with the American Medical Association to approve such specialty boards.
Lori Boukas, a spokeswoman for the American Board of Medical Specialties, said her
organization considers certifications to be valid only if they are done by the 24 groups that have its approval and that of the AMA.
"He is not board-certified," she said of Paul.
The specialties board recognizes the American Board of Ophthalmology, the nation's main
ophthalmological certification group. Paul had certification from that organization before he let it lapse after he started his National Board of Ophthalmology.
The American Board of Medical Specialties said board certification is important because it
enables "patients to determine whether their physicians were appropriately trained and
knowledgeable in their specialties."
The Courier-Journal began seeking comment from Paul Tuesday. When the newspaper tried to interview him at two Louisville events Saturday, he wouldn't comment.
"I'm not going to go through all that right now," Paul said while at the Great Eastern National Gun Day Show and JAG Military Show, in Louisville.
Asked when he would talk, Paul said: "Uh, you know, never. ... What does this have to do with our election?"
Jesse Benton, his campaign manager, said later Saturday that Paul would only answer questions submitted in writing.
Paul's medical practice in good standing
Boukas of the American Board of Medical Specialties said its 24 member groups, including the widely recognized American Board of Ophthalmology, have stricter standards for board certification than the other groups.
The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure does not verify doctors' specialty training and instead directs people to the American Board of Medical Specialties to determine if a doctor is board-certified.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recognizes board certification only by the
American Board of Ophthalmology.
In an interview with The Courier-Journal shortly before the May 18 Republican primary, which he won, Paul said he was certified by both ophthalmological boards.
A spokesman subsequently said that Paul misspoke because the question was unclear and
he acknowledged his certification by the American Board had lapsed.
There is no indication that Paul isn't qualified to practice ophthalmology, which he has done in Bowling Green since moving to Kentucky in 1993.
He is a 1988 graduate of the Duke University School of Medicine and has been licensed to
practice in Kentucky since 1993. The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure has never sanctioned Paul, according to its website, and he has medical privileges at two Bowling Green hospitals.
A review of court records in Warren County showed that he has been sued for malpractice
there twice. He was cleared after a trial in one case and reached a $50,000 settlement in the other, which involved a patient who alleged he didn't receive proper care.
Rival board formed after disagreement
Along with his wife and father-in-law, Paul founded the National Board of Ophthalmology
because the American Board began requiring physicians certified after 1992 to be recertified every 10 years to make sure they were keeping up with medical trends.
The Paul campaign issued a statement Saturday afternoon, saying: "The National Board of
Ophthalmology is a non-profit group involved with continuing education and board
recertification. It was formed in 1987 by over 200 young ophthalmologists who believed that all ophthalmologists should be recertified. ... NBO began recertifying in 2002. It is a completely volunteer organization that pays no salaries."
According to records with the Kentucky Secretary of State, the organization was first incorporated in Kentucky in 1999. On records in that office, Paul is listed as "owner/president" on some forms and "president" on others.
Asked what requirements the National Board of Ophthalmology has for recertifying doctors,
Paul's wife, Kelley, who is listed on forms as the group's vice president, said: "I'm not involved in that. I'm not officially talking about that today.'"
After incorporating the board in 1999, Paul allowed it to be dissolved in 2000, when he didn't file required paperwork with the Kentucky secretary of state's office.
But he revived it in September 2005, just three months before his certification from the
American Board of Ophthalmology was scheduled to lapse.
Paul said in a May interview that he formed the rival board because he had a problem with the organization treating younger doctors -- those certified after 1992 -- differently from older doctors.
"It annoyed me and a lot of younger ophthalmologists ... that people who were 55
years old didn't have to be recertified and those who were 45 years old did," he said. "So we thought if it was a rule, a good rule, everybody should obey it."
Paul has full hospital privileges
The American Board of Ophthalmology said Paul hasn't been certified since Dec. 31, 2005, when his previous certification expired. The American Board wouldn't say why the certification lapsed.
Paul, through Benton, said that the board is correct and that Paul has been certified only by the National Board of Ophthalmology since 2005.
"What he told me is that he actually has been certified by both groups in the past," Benton
said.
Benton contended that Paul's earlier statement is consistent with the facts.
"I just think it was possibly an unclear question in the passing conversation," Benton said. "I mean there is absolutely no motivation to say anything that isn't 100 percent true."
Board certification isn't required to practice medicine in Kentucky, but most hospitals either
prefer or require that doctors be board-certified. That includes The Medical Center and Greenview Regional Hospital in Bowling Green, where Paul practices.
Mark Marsh, Greenview's chief executive officer, said its medical staff's bylaws require that all doctors be certified or at least eligible for certification and awaiting an opportunity to take the test.
Allen Palmer, a spokesman for the hospital, said that once a doctor proves he is board-certified he or she is not required to maintain that certification.
"Apparently, after the initial review of board certification when a physician comes on board, it is not a continuing requirement for future credentialing," he said in an e-mail.
Doris Thomas, vice president of marketing for The Medical Center, declined to comment on its requirement. But The Medical Center's medical staff bylaws say doctors that specialize in one area of medicine must "provide evidence of appropriate training and eligibility for
certification by an approved board in that specialty or subspecialty or, if not eligible for
certification, possess equivalent qualifications."
The American Board of Ophthalmology requires that doctors take 30 hours of continuing medical education classes each year, review 15 case files and pass a 150-item proctored test. The cost of recertification is about $1,500 every 10 years.
The state of Kentucky requires doctors to obtain 60 hours of continuing medical education over a three-year period -- one-third less than the American Board of Ophthalmology -- to keep their medical license.
Paul has never sought recognition for his National Board of Ophthalmology from the
American Board of Medical Specialties, Boukas said.
The National Board of Ophthalmology doesn't maintain a website; its standards for certifying doctors and charges for certification couldn't be determined.
American Board has 16,000 certified doctors
Beth Ann Slembarski, the administrator of the American Board of Ophthalmology, said her
group has certified more than 29,000 ophthalmologists over the past century and that
there are now about 16,000 practicing ophthalmologists certified by the group.
The American Board operates out of an office building in a Philadelphia suburb and has 11
employees, Slembarski said.
The group's board of directors includes 20 people from around the country, 18 of whom are
ophthalmologists.
In comparison, the address for Paul's group is a UPS Store in Bowling Green.
An Internet search found only seven ophthalmologists other than Paul who say they
are members of or are certified by Paul's group. All say they also are certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology; none returned phone calls to their offices.
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