The COTW in its oversight of fellowship training has also finalized the Entrustable Professional Activities, curricular milestones in the Next Accreditation System (NAS). The NAS is a restructuring effort by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to focus training milestones on educational outcomes, reduce administrative burdens and encourage innovation and will be a welcome change for fellowship programs.
Given the shortage of rheumatologists, the ACR needs a constant flow of information about its workforce to identify important trends that can inform decision making & planning for the future.
Once initially certified, rheumatologists are obliged to participate in the Maintenance of Certification (MOC), which is administered by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). MOC has been a focus of ACR attention this year because of the dissatisfaction expressed by its members and physicians in general about the program. The ACR developed a position statement a few months ago based on a survey of its membership and made it available to the public. Our professional society, like others, has used strong language in expressing its displeasure with MOC and has taken up these concerns in meetings with ABIM leadership. As a result, the ABIM has recently announced that the unpopular 10-year secure exam may be on the way out. Other concerns expressed in the ACR’s position statement will be under review by the ABIM and its subspecialty boards. Rheumatologists should stay tuned for new developments in the MOC program, but I am cautiously optimistic.
… In Member Outreach
Government Affairs Chair Will Harvey, MD, MSc.
A major accomplishment this year has been the launch of the new ACR website. This re-architecture has been sorely needed to improve our online presence for members and the public. The new website represents a complete redesign, with major improvements in functionality, features and usability. Please check it out if you haven’t done so already. The site will enable the ACR better to address the diverse needs of its members and will provide a platform to introduce and promote the new Learning Management System, which will be the central hub for our online education.
