Yellow Professionalism

Abstract

We compared the specialty listings of physicians in the Yellow Pages of the 1983 Hartford, Connecticut, telephone book with the board certifications in specialties of the American Board of Medical Specialties as listed in the American Medical Association directory or the Marquis Directory of Medical Specialists. There were 1179 listings by 946 physicians under 61 specialty headings in the Yellow Pages. We found that a mean of 12 percent of "specialists" listed in the Yellow Pages were not board-certified in a specialty, although they had had ample opportunity to obtain board certification. We conclude that specialty advertising in the Yellow Pages is potentially misleading to consumers and that member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties should consider ways to diminish this possible misrepresentation.

“Landmark Plastic Surgeon Advocacy within the Federal Government: Four Case Studies”

“…10 Interestingly, several years after the passing of this law, a study demonstrated that physician advertising in the Yellow Pages had increased dramatically, and that 12% of these advertisements were made by “specialists” without a board certification in fields such as hypnosis and nutrition. 11…”

“…10 Interestingly, several years after the passing of this law, a study demonstrated that physician advertising in the Yellow Pages had increased dramatically, and that 12% of these advertisements were made by "specialists" without a board certification in fields such as hypnosis and nutrition. 11 Then, continuing their focus on regulations of the medical industry, the FTC specifically targeted what was then known as the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (ASPRS), now the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 12 and the American Board of Plastic Surgery, claiming that board certification was forcing increased prices and creating an unfair market. The leader of the FTC at the time, Commissioner Michael Pertschuk, stated that the "standards in plastic surgery were unnecessarily high" and that they were "self-serving, exclusive, and potentially acting to restrain trade."…”