139 doctors caught cheating on boards

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) sanctioned 139 physicians for soliciting or sharing confidential examination questions used to certify doctors in internal medicine and its specialties, the board reported.

ABIM initiated legal action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against five physicians who were among the most egregious offenders.

The sanctioned physicians participated in Arora Board Review, an independent, New Jersey-based test-preparation course that purported to help physicians prepare for board certification exams, according to the ABIM. Participants in the course were allegedly encouraged to relay questions from memory to the company immediately after they took an ABIM examination, according to the board. They were also provided with questions obtained by other physicians who had completed ABIM examinations, the board says.