Geriatrics

Although the recent CONTEMPO issue of JAMA is generally interesting and informative, there appears a summary of geriatrics1 that begins with a number of egregiously misleading and inaccurate statements. Both of the significant events identified are incorrectly reported.A certifying examination signifying added qualifications (not special competence) in geriatrics was offered under the joint sponsorship of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Family Practice (not the American Academy of Family Physicians). In addition, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accepted applications for accreditation (not certification) of geriatric fellowships in internal medicine and in family practice. Thus, the certificate of added qualifications (not special competence) in geriatrics and the accreditation of geriatric fellowship programs in internal medicine and in family practice more clearly provide standards to measure training programs and their physician products.The required corrections in this lead paragraph transcend