Past Projects & Initiatives
1. “Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Clinician’s Guide” (2007-2016)
Among the FSMB Foundation’s educational initiatives has been the development and distribution of a guidebook intended to help physicians recognize the risks of opioids and follow responsible and safe prescribing standards. The first edition, “Responsible Opioid Prescribing: A Physician’s Guide,” was released in 2007. Written by one of the nation’s leading experts in pain medicine, Scott M. Fishman, MD, the book offers practical steps for reducing the risk of addiction, abuse and diversion of opioids and for achieving improved patient outcomes. It was developed with the assistance a diverse range of physicians, academicians and health-policy experts and has been used extensively by state regulators and others to address the need for safer, more responsible and better-informed opioid prescribing.
2. Medical Professionalism Project (2009)
In 2009, the FSMB Foundation launched an educational outreach program intended to help physicians and the public better understand the unique role state medical boards play in the nation’s health care system. This educational program consisted of vital information on licensing, discipline and general professionalism in medicine and included outreach and special presentations to medical students, residents, medical staff coordinators, physician groups, medical societies, hospital medical staffs, clinic managers and many other groups.
3. Supported the Washington Medical Quality Assurance Commission Metrics Project (2010)
In 2010, the FSMB Foundation supported a grant request from the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission to help fund a systematic analysis and review of the Commission’s data collection relevant to the performance management of its current medical board model as compared to the other health professional boards in Washington State. The analysis drew upon the experiences and best practices of other state medical boards.
4. Safety and Violence Education (SAVE) survey (2010-2012)
The S.A.V.E. (Safety and Violence Education Project) was initiated by the FSMB Foundation after a tragic attack on a board member within the state medical board community. Results from the survey showed that threats of violence against state medical and osteopathic board members and staff are prevalent and diverse. As a response to heightened attention to this issue, many member boards have initiated steps to respond to threats and potential violence, and to safeguard members and their staff.
5. Held 1st FSMB Foundation Luncheon (2013)
Since 2013, the FSMB Foundation has hosted its annual fundraising luncheon in conjunction with FSMB’s Annual Meeting. The funds raised from this event further the FSMB Foundation’s mission to support research and educational initiatives that strengthen, support and advance the work of the state medical board community.
6. Journal of Medical Regulation article: Exposure to Violent Threats (2013)
A final summary of the S.A.V.E. project was published in the Journal of Medical Regulation
7. Awarded Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) grants to the State Medical Board Community (2014)
In 2014, the FSMB Foundation awarded a total of 26 grants for a combined total of $250,000 to state medical boards. Funded by the ER/LA Opioid Analgesics REMS Program Companies, grant recipients used these funds to host prescriber educational programming in their respective states on extended-release and long-acting opioids.
8. Awarded Interstate Medical Licensure Compact grants (2016)
The FSMB Foundation has awarded a number of grants to support projects associated with the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. The purpose of the grant program is to support the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, its Commission and state medical and osteopathic boards in their readiness to participate and implement the Compact.
9. Foundation Mini-Grants awarded (2016)
Since 2016, the FSMB Foundation has accepted small grant requests for nonprofit project funding. The FSMB Foundation is dedicated to supporting organizations who conduct research and education-related projects designed to improve the quality of health care through effective physician licensure and regulation, including efforts of the state medical board community to participate in and implement the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.
10. Foundation Mini-Grants and General Project Grants awarded (2017-2020)
During 2017 – 2020, the FSMB Foundation awarded 10 mini-grant and general project grants totaling $148,000 to support various educational and research efforts. Award recipients represented the state medical board community, academic medical centers, and other nonprofit organizations.
11. COVID-19 Response Grants Awarded (2021)
The FSMB Foundation awarded four COVID-related grants in 2021, totaling $100,000. The projects focused on areas such as physician workforce shortages, health equity during disasters, physician well-being and telehealth policy.
12. Foundation Grants Related to Complaint Data (2022-2023)
The FSMB Foundation’s grantmaking shifted significantly in 2022-2023 from pandemic-response projects towards strengthening the effectiveness of medical regulation. The Foundation launched a new initiative focused on how state medical boards collect, analyze and use complaint data to improve patient protection and regulatory decision-making.
13. Innovations and Upgrades of Technology Resources and Programs (2024)
The FSMB Foundation's work in 2024 was substantially different from its earlier COVID-response and research-focused grants. The Foundation concentrated on technology modernization for state medical boards, making the largest grants in its history and increasing its grant pool to more than $384,000. The overarching goal was to help boards improve licensing, discipline, public communication, and emergency preparedness through technology.
14. Continued Technology Modernization Grants (2025)
The FSMB Foundation continued to provide funding opportunities to state medical boards looking to improve their technology and innovation strategies. The Foundation awarded nearly $262,000 in grants with approximately half the grants focused on improving technology used in licensing, discipline and public communication and the other half focused on license portability initiatives.
15. Professional Boundaries Educational Video Series (2025)
The FSMB Foundation's Professional Boundaries Educational Video Series was launched in 2025 to help physicians, regulators, and patients better understand and prevent professional boundary violations in healthcare. Developed in collaboration with the Federation of State Medical Boards and the Administrators in Medicine Foundation, the series uses realistic, scenario-based videos to illustrate common boundary challenges. Topics include prescribing medications for friends and family, navigating inappropriate personal relationships with patients, and conducting intimate examinations appropriately and respectfully. The project was created to promote patient safety, strengthen trust in the physician-patient relationship, and raise awareness of behaviors that can lead to disciplinary action. The series also offers continuing medical education (CME) credit, making it a practical educational resource for healthcare professionals.