Context: Geriatricians provide more comprehensive geriatrics care. Despite high job satisfaction and strong demand of geriatricians in growing aging population, a shortage of geriatricians has been detected. Moreover, evidence-based clinical guideline for geriatric patients and geriatricians is missing. To produce more evidence and robust guideline establishment, it is important to understand the practice pattern and needs of subspecialty in geriatrics. Board certified family physicians (FPs) who complete additional training requirements are eligible for certificate of added qualification (CAQ) in geriatric medicine (Geri-CAQ). However little is known about the practice pattern of FPs with Geri-CAQ and whether FPs who earned Geri-CAQ continue to maintain it with their primary certification.
Objectives: 1) To describe the historical trend of maintaining Geri-CAQ among FPs ever certified in geriatric medicine since 1988. 2) To examine differences in practice patterns among FPs with active Geri-CAQ, FPs with expired Geri-CAQ, and FPs with no Geri-CAQ from 2017 to 2019.
Study design: Pooled cross-sectional will be used.
Data: Administrative data on FPs’ certification history with the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM). Practice demographic questionnaire of ABFM diplomates from 2017 to 2019.
Participants: FPs who ever certified in geriatric medicine since 1988 and FPs who registered for ABFM examination to continue their primary certification from 2017 to 2019.
Outcomes: We will present a trend of the percentage of FPs who maintained active Geri-CAQ by their initial CAQ year. We will then determine statistical differences in practice patterns between FPs with and without Geri-CAQ, including practice specialty, practice size, type of organization, ownership, practice settings, rurality, patient population and scope of practice.

This abstract is submitted for poster on research in progress. Results will be presented by the time of the conference.