Dear all:

I have been sticking my head in the sand for the past month.  I routinely check the IBLCE website to verify that the IBCLC members of the New York Lactation Consultant Association are actually up to date with their board certification.  The New York Lactation Consultant Association database includes the IBCLC numbers for all our members.  Furthermore, we actually had a link to the IBLCE website so that parents could look up the info.

I recently went to verify a new member and noticed that you couldn't find the old 10 digit numbers.  Instead there was a new number starting with L followed by seven numbers.  I thought it was odd and meant to follow up, but just didn't.   I have never seen any communication from the IBLCE about this change.  

Someone else noticed this on Facebook and mentioned that you cannot find the original IBCLC number which is on your certificate.  Indeed this is the case.  If I look myself up by the number on my certificate I do not appear. 

While this may not affect IBCLC elsewhere, it certainly may affect IBCLCs in the United States.  Not only do we have to contend with insurance companies who are fighting tooth and nail to find excuses not to cover our services as required under the Affordable Care Act - we now might be seen by parents and the insurance companies alike as frauds if they expect to see the only number we knew we had on the IBLCE website.  One of the best things about being an IBCLC was having a number that was verifiable.  

Does anyone know why the IBLCE did not contact IBCLCs about this change?  And why they changed a perfectly good number to begin with?  The new number has only 7 digits which means that they can only provide numbers for 99,999 IBCLCs worldwide.  I personally can see room in the world for more than a mere 99,999 IBCLCs.  

Best regards, Susan Burger, MHS, IBCLC, RLC

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