Are you a practicing physician? If so, MI CARES needs your help in bridging the gap between the 20 million people struggling with addiction and the 4,400 specialists working to help them nationwide. We've guided and supported providers through the Practice Pathway program for the Addiction Medicine sub-specialty since 2018. Back then, we were just a pilot program with a modest goal: train a half-dozen Michigan physicians as addiction specialists. But word spread, and to date, over 500 physicians in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have signed up for the training. Did you know that insufficient documentation of practice activities is the biggest reason for application rejection? In estimation, approximately 50% of applications are rejected and returned to physicians due to insufficient documentation of addiction medicine specialization. In 2020, with our assistance, 51 physicians passed the exam to become board certified as addiction medicine specialists. Of these 51, 5 had previously been denied approval to sit for the exam. We break down barriers that our participants commonly experience by providing targeted technical support and coaching that helps physicians through the ABPM application process. MI CARES also offers a curriculum that reviews the components of the certification application. Not only did we develop robust tools that emulate the actual application, but we can also track hours and draft addiction medicine practice activities. Participants benefit from one-on-one support via video calls, emails, and we even review their practice descriptions prior to applying. The best part? MI CARES allows physicians to study addiction specialization online while continuing to practice medicine where they are. MI CARES helps physicians meet eligibility requirements for certification in Addiction Medicine without completing an Accredited Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) fellowship training in Addiction Medicine.
