Health Care Administration, Leadership, and Management (HALM)
HALM physicians draw from their clinical knowledge and experience as well as from a variety of other fields to administer efficient and effective health systems. Learn about achieving certification in this subspecialty.
The HALM certification exam is offered in even-numbered years only.
Subspecialty Overview
Health Care Administration, Leadership, and Management (HALM) represents a body of knowledge and skills that address the system-based needs of health care environments.
Physicians certified in HALM apply their knowledge and skills in medicine, business, public health, communication, computer science, economics, law, and other disciplines to manage patient care operations across medical specialties and health care professions. HALM physicians competently administer complex health care organizations and institutional systems that are critical to health care delivery, such as those that promote patient safety.
The HALM initial certification exam is administered in even-numbered years only. Physicians may apply for the exam only in years in which the exam is administered.
The HALM certification exam is administered through Pearson VUE’s online, remote-proctored system.
Dates & Fees
The HALM certification exam will be offered in 2025 and in even-numbered years only thereafter.
General Requirements
- Medical License – An unrestricted and currently valid license(s) to practice medicine in a State, the District of Columbia, a Territory, Commonwealth, or possession of the United States or in a Province of Canada is required. If the applicant has licenses in multiple states, no license may be restricted, revoked, suspended, or currently under such notice.
- Medical Degree – Graduation from a medical school in the United States which at the time of the applicant’s graduation was accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, a school of osteopathic medicine approved by the American Osteopathic Association, an accredited medical school in Canada, or from a medical school located outside the United States and Canada that is deemed satisfactory to the Board is required.
- ABPM Certification – Possession of current underlying ABPM specialty or subspecialty certification is a core requirement.
In addition, physicians must actively participate in ABPM’s Continuing Certification Program (CCP) to maintain their ABPM certification.
Pathway Requirements Overview
There are multiple pathways available to achieve board certification in HALM.
Find out easily for which pathway you may be qualified by reviewing the HALM requirements table.
Pathway Requirements
If you are not sure which pathway you fit, view our Requirements Table to compare the pathways.
Practice Pathway (Open through 2030)
The practice pathway is the mechanism for physicians to meet eligibility requirements for HALM certification without completing an ACGME-accredited fellowship. Additional requirements include a minimum duration of time in subspecialty-specific practice.
Full Requirements
The HALM practice pathway will close after the 2030 application cycle. Beginning in 2031, all applicants for HALM certification must successfully complete an ACGME-accredited HALM fellowship. The HALM certification exam will be administered annually.
The practice pathway offers two tracks:
Practice Only
To apply for HALM certification through the practice-only track, a physician must meet all the following criteria.
Physicians must demonstrate that, within the seven years (84 months) immediately preceding the date on which they submit their application, they have held a position(s) for a minimum of 36 months in which at least 50% of their time is/was devoted to the managing administrative functions with high-level organizational impact as described here. The 36 months of practice do not need to be contiguous.
Learn more about acceptable leadership experience and responsibilities at the link below.
ABPM requires independent verification of the physician’s HALM experience from their direct supervisor(s). Such verification shall be determined by the ABPM in its sole and absolute discretion.
Non-ACGME-Accredited Training Plus Practice
To apply for HALM certification through the Non-ACGME-Accredited-Training-Plus-Practice track, a physician must meet all the following criteria.
Physicians must successfully complete a non-ACGME-accredited fellowship, at least 12 months in duration, that adequately addresses HALM core content. The fellowship must be sponsored by an ACGME-accredited residency program or ACGME-accredited institution.
ABPM will independently verify physicians’ successful completion of the HALM fellowship with the HALM fellowship program director. Such verification shall be determined by the ABPM in its sole and absolute discretion.
Physicians must demonstrate that, within seven years (84 months) immediately preceding the date on which they submit their application, they have held a position(s) for a minimum of 24 months in which at least 50% of their time is/was devoted to the managing administrative functions with high-level organizational impact as described here. The 24 months of practice do not need to be contiguous.
ABPM requires independent verification of the physician’s HALM experience from the physician’s direct supervisor(s). Such verification shall be determined by the ABPM in its sole and absolute discretion.
Credit for Certification by the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) or the American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL)
Physicians who are certified by ACHE or AAPL may receive up to a maximum of 12 months’ credit toward the practice time requirements for either the practice-only track or the training-plus-practice track. To receive credit, the physician’s ACHE or AAPL certification must be current at the time the physician submits the application to the ABPM.
A physician may receive credit for either ACHE or AAPL certification but may not receive double credit for possessing both ACHE and AAPL certification.
ABPM will independently verify physicians’ ACHE and AAPL certification. Such verification shall be determined by the ABPM in its sole and absolute discretion.
Documents and Verifications
- CV/Resume
- Medical license (ABPM will verify after application)
- Current ABPM certification (ABPM will verify after application)
- Practice activity verification, if applicable
- Non-ACGME-accredited fellowship verification from program director, if applicable
- ACHE or AAPL certification (ABPM will verify after application)
- One letter of reference from a physician who is certified by an ABMS member board, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
ACGME-Accredited Fellowship Pathway
The fellowship pathway requires physicians to successfully complete an ACGME-accredited HALM fellowship. The ACGME accredits HALM fellowships of 12 and 24 months in duration. Physicians must successfully complete all months of training for which the HALM fellowship is accredited to fulfill the Board’s eligibility criteria.
Full Requirements
ABPM will independently verify physicians’ successful completion of the HALM fellowship program with the HALM fellowship program director.
Physicians must complete the fellowship program by a date sufficiently in advance of the certification examination; which date shall be set annually by ABPM at its sole and absolute discretion.
Documents and Verifications
- CV/Resume, if applying 24 months or more after fellowship completion date
- Medical license (ABPM will verify after application)
- Current ABPM certification (ABPM will verify after application)
- Fellowship verification from program director
- If applying more than 24 months after completing fellowship, one letter of reference from a physician certified by an ABMS member board, the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), or the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC).
HALM FAQS
Exam Information
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