American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

What American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology does

The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation founded in 1934 and headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It functions as a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and serves as the recognized certifying authority for psychiatrists, neurologists, child neurologists, and physicians in related subspecialties including clinical neurophysiology, addiction psychiatry, and sleep medicine. ABPN develops, administers, and maintains certification examinations and continuing certification standards used by hospitals, payers, and credentialers to assess physician competency.

The organization's core technology infrastructure consists of three integrated web-based platforms: the ABPN Physician Portal for candidates and diplomates to apply for examinations and track continuing certification requirements; the preCERT system for training program directors to manage trainee credentials and produce Graduate Performance Reports; and the verifyCERT public verification portal that allows patients, employers, and insurance credentialers to confirm physician certification status. Examinations are delivered via computer-based testing through a partnership with Pearson VUE. Recurring continuing certification pathways include the simplified Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) program, effective 2025, requiring 20 article exams every three years per certification.

ABPN generates revenue through two streams: one-time certification examination fees charged to physician candidates seeking initial or subspecialty certification, and recurring continuing certification fees paid by diplomates to maintain active certificate status. The organization employs 51-100 staff and serves multiple user segments including physician candidates and trainees, board-certified diplomates, training program directors and administrators, and patients and credentialers. As a non-profit, ABPN does not publish financial statements, and its fees are governed by a published fee schedule maintained on the organization's website.

Name

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Legal name

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Inc.

Website

https://abpn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit founded in 1934 and headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois. It certifies psychiatrists, neurologists, and related subspecialists through standardized examinations administered via Pearson VUE and managed through web-based physician, training program, and public verification portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Board Certification

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Certifications (EDAAANAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Behavioral Health & Counseling (Social Work, Psychology, Substance Use CE) (EDAAALAD), Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF), Credentialing, Certification Prep & Exam Training (BPACANAJ)

Keywords

• Board certification
• Physician credentialing
• Medical specialty certification
• Continuing certification
• Psychiatry neurology certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Deerfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Certification Examination Fees: ABPN generates revenue through examination fees charged to physicians seeking initial board certification and subspecialty certifications
2. Continuing Certification Fees: Ongoing fees for diplomates maintaining their board certification through the Continuing Certification (CC) program, including article-based assessments

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ABPN administers initial board certification and subspecialty certification examinations for psychiatrists and neurologists, delivered through Pearson VUE computer-based testing centers. The organization also operates the Continuing Certification (CC) program, including the Article-Based Continuing Certification (ABCC) pathway requiring 20 article exams every three years per certification, and provides public physician credential verification through its verifyCERT system.

Product overview

ABPN offers a unified certification platform comprising multiple integrated web portals. The core offering includes the ABPN Physician Portal for exam applications and continuing certification tracking, the ABPN preCERT System for training program credentialing and trainee data management, and the ABPN verifyCERT for public verification of physician certification status. These products serve distinct user segments (candidates, diplomates, training programs, and the public) within a cohesive certification ecosystem established since 1934.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ABPN preCERT: Credentialing system for training program directors and program administrators to update trainee data and run graduate performance reports.
• ABPN verifyCERT

Products and services

• ABPN Physician Portal

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABPN is a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the authoritative body that establishes standards for physician certification in the United States. This membership provides ABPN with regulatory recognition and positions ABPN certification as the recognized standard for psychiatry and neurology specialists.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA): ABMS member board certifying anesthesiologists and anesthesiology subspecialists. Shares ABPN's structure of initial certification exams, MOCA (MOC equivalent), and diplomate verification.
• American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM): ABMS member board certifying emergency physicians with a parallel certification and continuous certification framework. Operationally similar to ABPN in scope and service model.
• American Board of Pediatrics (ABP): ABMS member board certifying pediatricians and pediatric subspecialties. Mirrors ABPN's structure with initial certification exams, MOC requirements, and diplomate verification systems.
• American Board of Radiology (ABR): ABMS member board certifying diagnostic radiologists, radiation oncologists, and medical physicists. Closely aligned certification model to ABPN with computer-based testing and continuous certification requirements.
• American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM): Largest ABMS member board certifying internists and internal medicine subspecialists. Operates the same physician certification, MOC, and exam delivery model as ABPN, making it the closest structural and operational peer.
• American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM): ABMS member board certifying family physicians with similar initial certification and continuous certification programs. Comparable in scale, governance, and revenue model to ABPN.
• American Board of Surgery (ABS): ABMS member board certifying surgeons and surgical subspecialists. Operates a parallel certification, MOC, and verification infrastructure for a different specialty.

Broad incumbents

• American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS): The umbrella organization of which ABPN is a member board. Sets overarching standards for physician certification in the US and oversees the 24 member boards including ABPN.
• National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME): Provides licensing and assessment examinations used across US medical specialties, including supporting exam development for ABMS member boards like ABPN. Comparable as a physician assessment organization though broader in scope.

Others

• Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME): Accredits residency and fellowship training programs, supplying the pipeline of physicians eligible for ABPN certification. Complementary rather than competitive - ABPN certification depends on ACGME-accredited training.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology