FSMB: “Practice drift” may require board monitoring and response

Increasing numbers of physicians have been changing or expanding their areas of practice, due to various economic and cultural pressures, the Federation of State Medical Boards said in an April policy statement. The "practice drift" trend means that—even though physician licenses allow them to practice the full breadth of medicine—boards may need new approaches to ensure that licensees can practice competently within their chosen area of practice.