ABOHNS Case-List Preparation: Personal Cases, Peer Review, and Selected-Case Defense
A rigorous workflow for turning a complete practice record into accurate selected-case defense while protecting patients and preserving the official process.
Key takeaways
- ABOHNS currently confirms a nine-month case collection log and peer review for Oral Exam application and eligibility.
- Historical transition materials describe consecutive case submission and minimum operative and nonoperative categories, but current portal instructions control.
- The study copy should be a de-identified derivative—not the official record and never a substitute for the Board portal.
- Selected-case preparation should include the complete timeline, supporting data, decision rationale, operative details, complications, outcome, and professional reflection.
Separate three different systems
| System | Purpose | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical source record | The legally and clinically authoritative chart, images, pathology, billing, and operative documentation. | Maintain through approved clinical systems and institutional policy. |
| ABOHNS portal | Official application, case collection, peer review, selected-case material, and Board communications. | Follow current ABOHNS instructions, agreements, deadlines, and file requirements exactly. |
| SurgiTest Personal Case Upload | Optional educational rehearsal using fully de-identified material. | Does not transmit to ABOHNS, fulfill case-log requirements, conduct peer review, or replace the source record. |
Build a prospective capture and reconciliation workflow
- 01
Capture consecutive practice
Use Board-defined categories and current portal rules; do not handpick only favorable or technically impressive cases.
- 02
Reconcile multiple sources
Compare operative schedules, professional billing, clinic encounters, admissions, pathology, and procedure logs to identify omissions or duplicates.
- 03
Treat the patient as the case when instructed
Historical transition materials state that each unique patient is a case and that operative sessions should not be unbundled. Confirm the current implementation in the portal.
- 04
Resolve coding and chronology before submission
Use final billed codes and accurate dates in the official process; do not guess or “optimize” the case after the fact.
- 05
Audit before the collection closes
Perform periodic reconciliation so the final week is confirmation rather than reconstruction.
Use historical minimums carefully
ABOHNS’s 2023 transition announcement described all consecutive surgical cases with qualifying CPT codes, a minimum of forty operative cases, forty nonoperatively managed new patients with qualifying ICD codes, and all hospitalized patients admitted under the candidate’s name. These details were published during an evolving redesign.
Build a selected-case defense packet
- One-page de-identified timeline from presentation through latest follow-up.
- Key history, examination, audiology, endoscopy, imaging, pathology, and laboratory results.
- Diagnosis, stage or severity, goals, alternatives, and indication for the chosen plan.
- Consent discussion and meaningful functional tradeoffs.
- Operation or treatment sequence with critical anatomy, findings, and changes from plan.
- Postoperative course, complication recognition, reoperation, readmission, and communication.
- Final pathology or physiologic result, adjuvant treatment, surveillance, and outcome.
- What you would do differently—and why—without rewriting what occurred.
De-identify for educational practice
The safest workflow is to create a new educational summary rather than export the chart. Remove identifiers before material leaves the approved clinical environment.
Remove direct identifiers
Names, initials, addresses, phone numbers, email, medical-record and account numbers, exact dates, and document headers.
Remove visual identifiers
Faces, tattoos, labels, accession numbers, burned-in image text, institution names, and device or photograph details that identify the patient.
Strip metadata
Review DICOM, photograph, PDF, slide, and office-document metadata before upload.
Generalize chronology
Use relative intervals—postoperative day, weeks after treatment, age range—when exact dates are unnecessary for education.
Minimize content
Include only the facts required for the learning objective. Do not upload a full unredacted chart “just in case.”
Put the framework under pressure
Rehearse the exact decisions in your own cases.
Voice-first cases, adaptive examiner follow-up, imaging, complications, and structured educational feedback for otolaryngology (ent).
Questions candidates ask
Frequently asked questions
Does the current ABOHNS Oral Exam use cases from the candidate’s own practice?
Yes. ABOHNS states that beginning with the September 2025 Oral Exam, candidates are examined on cases from their practice. A nine-month case collection log and peer review are required for application and eligibility.
How many cases are discussed in the redesigned oral format?
ABOHNS transition materials describe ten cases selected in advance, divided into two sessions of five cases. Because the Board calls the redesign an evolving process, candidates should confirm their current portal instructions.
Can I upload my personal cases to SurgiTest?
SurgiTest can be used to rehearse fully de-identified personal cases. Never upload protected health information, identifiable photographs, exact dates, record numbers, unredacted records, or metadata that could identify a patient.
Does SurgiTest replace the ABOHNS case log or peer review?
No. SurgiTest is an independent educational rehearsal platform. It does not transmit cases to ABOHNS, satisfy official case-log requirements, conduct the official peer review, or replace Board instructions.
Does SurgiTest reproduce actual ABOHNS questions or predict a passing score?
No. SurgiTest uses original educational prompts and de-identified user material. It does not reproduce secure questions, calculate an official ABOHNS score, or guarantee certification.
Do the published transition minimums always apply to the current cycle?
Not necessarily. The 2023 announcement was explicitly part of an evolving redesign. Confirm current categories, codes, minimums, timelines, and pathways in the Physician Portal.
What should I do if my practice or job changes during collection?
Do not infer the answer from historical guidance. Contact ABOHNS and follow current portal instructions because practice continuity and eligibility can be cycle specific.
Source transparency
Official references
Board requirements, dates, and candidate instructions can change. Confirm current details directly with ABOHNS and the Board’s candidate portal.
Continue preparing