Find a Board-Certified Physician
Learn the importance of verifying your physician.
Board certified physicians are up to date in their medical speciality by continuing rigorous training and assessment standards on a structured timeline.
Patients benefit from a physician’s focus on the core competencies for quality care by receiving:
Our diplomates have attained the highest certification in this specialty, and through participation in Continuing Certification, demonstrate their expert qualifications in the field of Colon and Rectal Surgery. The Board activities have at the core the commitment to protect and promulgate the acknowledged expertise of ABCRS diplomates in caring for patients with diseases of the colon and rectum.
In addition to having proficiency in the field of general surgery and fundamentals of minimally invasive surgery, colon and rectal surgeons have acquired particular skills and knowledge with regard to the medical and surgical management of diseases of the intestinal tract, colon, rectum, anal canal, and perianal area. Colon and rectal surgical specialists also have special skills in the performance of endoscopic procedures of the rectum and colon and evaluation of the anal sphincter and pelvic floor using anorectal physiology techniques.
A colon and rectal surgeon has been trained to deal with conditions such as, but not limited to, colon and rectal cancer, polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis, pelvic floor abnormalities, as well as anal conditions such as hemorrhoids, fissures, abscesses, and fistulas. Training in colon and rectal surgery also provides the specialist with in-depth knowledge of intestinal and anorectal physiology required for the treatment of problems such as constipation and incontinence.
The process for certification includes a chronological series of components with specific requirements in the areas of education, direct patient care, and examinations.
Education Requirements
Examinations in General Surgery
Must have successfully completed the written Qualifying examination and the oral Certifying examination of the American Board of Surgery.
Examinations in Colon and Rectal Surgery
Continuing Certification
To maintain their board certification, surgeons must demonstrate an ongoing commitment to professionalism, continuing education, and practice improvement as well as completing ongoing assessments of current surgical knowledge in the field of colon and rectal surgery. Diplomates certified prior to 1990 are not required to participate in the continuing certification process.
Find a Board-Certified Physician in our website.
Contact the ABCRS Office
You may also call the Board office at 734-282-9400 to obtain verbal verification. Please have the surgeon’s identifying information (first, middle and last name) when you call. Certificate number may also be needed.
For written verification, please send your request and payment to the address below. There is a fee of $35 per physician name for the verification of certification. Credit card payments are currently not accepted.
American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery
20600 Eureka Rd., Suite 600
Taylor, MI 48180
Information Provided
The ABCRS considers the personal information and examination record of an individual to be private and confidential. The Board reports all individuals as having one of two statuses: Certified or Not Certified. Information regarding an individual’s Continuing Certification status will also be provided; surgeons are enrolled in the Continuing Certification Program (CertLink) upon certification or recertification. This status is reported using the designations: Meeting Continuing Certification Requirements or Not Meeting Certification Requirements. Diplomates certified prior to 1990 are not required to participate in Continuing Certification.
Unethical and unprofessional behavior is denoted by any dishonest behavior, including: cheating; lying; falsifying information; misrepresenting one’s educational background, certification status and/or professional experience; and failure to report misconduct. The American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery has adopted a “zero tolerance” policy toward these behaviors, and individuals caught exhibiting such behaviors risk being permanently barred from certification, reported to state medical boards, and/or legally prosecuted for copyright or other violations.
Unethical behavior is specifically defined by the ABCRS to include the disclosure, publication, reproduction or transmission of ABCRS examinations, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purposes. This also extends to sharing examination information or discussing an examination while still in progress. Unethical behavior also includes the possession, reproduction or disclosure of materials or information, including examination questions or answers or specific information regarding the content of the examination, before, during or after the examination. This definition specifically includes the recall and reconstruction of examination questions by any means and such efforts may violate federal copyright law. All ABCRS examinations are copyrighted and protected by law; the ABCRS will prosecute violations to the full extent provided by law and seek monetary damages for any loss of examination materials.