LA JOLLA, Calif., Aug. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) is pleased to announce that the Florida Board of Medicine (“the Board”) approved NBPAS as a recognizing agency under the state’s physician advertising rule. At its August 7, 2026 meeting, the Board approved NBPAS’ application and waiver petition, permitting NBPAS-certified physicians to accurately advertise as board certified in Florida.
At the heart of the issue was a critical distinction. All NBPAS-certified physicians have completed accredited residency training and earned board certification by passing a rigorous specialty board examination, the recognized gold standard for specialty training and expertise.
The question before the Florida Board was not whether these physicians had passed a board examination or earned a board certification. Those qualifications had already been achieved. The question was whether physicians who chose a different pathway to maintain their board certification could continue to accurately represent themselves as board certified.
Before the Board’s decision, Florida’s advertising rule created an unintended barrier. Physicians who had completed accredited residency training, passed a rigorous specialty board examination, and become board certified could not publicly identify themselves as board certified if they chose NBPAS for the maintenance phase of certification.
Florida law recognizes that agency rules can have unintended consequences and provides a waiver process when the purpose of a rule has been achieved by other means and when applying the rule literally creates substantial harm or violates principles of fairness. Through that process, the Board recognized that NBPAS physicians had already completed the foundational training and examination required to establish their specialty expertise and met the statutory criteria for a rule waiver.
The Board’s decision will allow NBPAS-certified physicians to accurately communicate their credentials to patients and the public. It also gives Florida physicians a meaningful choice in how they demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning, stay current with medical advancements, and maintain a high level of specialty expertise.
A Win for Florida Patients, Hospitals, and Physicians
The decision comes at a consequential time for Florida’s healthcare workforce. Sixty-six of Florida’s 67 counties lack adequate access to primary care, and approximately 35% of the state’s practicing physicians are age 60 or older. A healthcare workforce analysis commissioned by the Florida Hospital Association and the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida projects that the state could face a physician workforce shortage of approximately 18,000 physicians by 2035.
NBPAS-certified physicians include highly trained and experienced specialists, primary care physicians, academic physicians, hospital leaders, educators, and physicians serving urban, rural, and underserved communities. Many bring decades of clinical experience and continue to demonstrate their commitment to lifelong learning through NBPAS certification requirements.
Florida’s recognition of NBPAS provides physicians meaningful choice in how they maintain and demonstrate their board certification and career-long specialty expertise, while affirming the rigorous training and examinations they have already completed.
“We appreciate the Florida Board of Medicine for taking a thoughtful look at this issue and recognizing that physician choice, competition, and high standards are not mutually exclusive,” said Paul Teirstein, MD, president and founder of NBPAS. “NBPAS physicians completed intensive accredited residency training, passed rigorous specialty board examinations, and earned board certification. The Board’s decision gives them a real choice in how they maintain their board certification and allows them to accurately communicate their credentials. Most importantly, it helps keep experienced, board-certified physicians practicing medicine and caring for patients in Florida.”
About NBPAS
The National Board of Physicians and Surgeons (NBPAS) is a nonprofit, physician-led organization that provides an alternative pathway for continuous specialty and subspecialty board certification. NBPAS certification recognizes physicians who have completed accredited specialty training and achieved specialty board certification, while providing a continuing certification pathway centered on accredited continuing medical education and lifelong learning.
NBPAS certification is recognized by hundreds of hospitals, health systems, and healthcare organizations nationwide and meets national accreditation requirements for hospitals and payors.
For more information email: info@nbpas.org or visit nbpas.org.
