Changes to Rheumatology Maintenance of Certification Program Imminent

On Feb. 3, 2015, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) announced changes to the Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. In response, ACR President William St.Clair, MD, sent an e-mail to ACR members notifying them of the changes and reminding them that although MOC reform is taking steps in the right direction, the ACR is continuing to advocate for continued change. Portions of this e-mail are summarized here:

“Yesterday, the American Board of Internal Medicine sent an e-mail to all diplomates, issuing an apology for its Maintenance of Certification program, stating, ‘We got it wrong. We’re sorry.’

“The ACR is encouraged by the reflective tone of the ABIM’s announcement to modify its MOC program. We believe the immediate suspension of the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice and Patient Safety requirements for at least two years is a step in the right direction. However, there is still much work to be done.

“In response to the ABIM’s announcement and our members’ feedback, the ACR will continue to advocate ensuring future changes to the MOC program are evidence based and include examination reform, reduction of fees and reduction of redundancies between medical boards and state licensing requirements.

“The ACR will continue collaboration with other medical subspecialty societies to work with the ABIM, on your behalf. Our ultimate goal is to ensure we are representing you and providing meaningful educational resources. Please continue to send your suggestions for MOC reform to MOC@rheumatology.org.

“The ACR leadership is committed to engaging heavily with the ABIM to help expedite evolution, and we thank you for your continued feedback.”

The Changes

ABIM has suspended the Practice Assessment, Patient Voice and Patient Safety requirements for at least the next two years. This means you won’t have your certification status changed for not having completed activities in these areas for at least the next two years. Diplomates who are currently not certified but who have satisfied all requirements for MOC except for Practice Assessment will be issued a new certificate this year.

ABIM will also:

• Change the language used to publically report a diplomate’s status on its website from “meeting MOC requirements” to “participating in MOC.”
• Keep the MOC enrollment fees at or below the 2014 levels through at least 2017.
• Update the internal medicine MOC exam to focus on making it more reflective of what physicians are doing, with any changes to be incorporated beginning fall 2015, with more subspecialties to follow.
• Ensure internists have new and more flexible ways to demonstrate self-assessment of medical knowledge.

More details can be found on the ABIM’s website, www.abim.org.