Maintenance of Certification: Glass Not Entirely Empty?
Authors: Lee Goldman
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Editorials17 July 2018Maintenance of Certification: Glass Not Entirely Empty?Lee Goldman, MD, MPHLee Goldman, MD, MPHVagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York (L.G.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M18-1459 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The concept of maintenance of certification (MOC), by which physicians who initially met their board certification requirements demonstrate adequate continuing skills and performance to retain that certification, has met with little resistance from the medical profession (1). What has been extremely controversial, however, is how it has been implemented.The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) requires a number of modules (2), which go well beyond the criteria needed to maintain state licensure, hospital privileges, or eligibility for even the most stringent of managed care plans. Simply fulfilling these requirements is estimated to cost $17 000 per general internist and $5.7 ...References1. Teirstein PS, Topol EJ. The role of maintenance of certification programs in governance and professionalism. JAMA. 2015;313:1809-10. [PMID: 25965219] doi:10.1001/jama.2015.3576 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. American Board of Internal Medicine. MOC Assessments in 2018. Philadelphia: American Board of Internal Medicine; 2018. Accessed at www.abim.org/maintenance-of-certification/moc-faq/moc-assessments.aspx on 25 May 2018. Google Scholar3. Sandhu AT, Dudley RA, Kazi DS. A cost analysis of the American Board of Internal Medicine's maintenance-of-certification program. Ann Intern Med. 2015;163:401-8. [PMID: 26216046]. doi:10.7326/M15-1011 LinkGoogle Scholar4. Gray B, Vandergrift J, Lipner RS, Green MM. Comparison of content on the American Board of Internal Medicine maintenance of certification examination with conditions seen in practice by general internists. JAMA. 2017;317:2317-24. [PMID: 28609535] doi:10.1001/jama.2017.6853 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. American Board of Internal Medicine. First-Time Taker Pass Rates – Maintenance of Certification. Philadelphia: American Board of Internal Medicine. Accessed at www.abim.org/~/media/ABIM%20Public/Files/pdf/statistics-data/maintenance-of-certification-pass-rates.pdf on 5 May 2018. Google Scholar6. American Board of Internal Medicine. 2018 Blueprint for the Internal Medicine MOC Exam and Knowledge Check-In. Philadelphia: American Board of Internal Medicine; 2018. Accessed at www.abim.org/maintenance-of-certification/assessment-information/internal-medicine/exam-content.aspx on 23 May 2018. Google Scholar7. The American Board of Anesthesiology Web site. Accessed at www.theaba.org on 23 May 2018. Google Scholar8. Nichols DG. Maintenance of certification and the challenge of professionalism. Pediatrics. 2017;139. [PMID: 28557762] doi:10.1542/peds.2016-4371 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Gray B, Vandergrift J, Landon B, Reschovsky J, Lipner R. Associations between American Board of Internal Medicine Maintenance of Certification status and performance on a set of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) process measures. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169:97-105. doi:10.7326/M16-2643 LinkGoogle Scholar10. Hawkins RE, Irons MB, Welcher CM, Pouwels MV, Holmboe ES, Reisdorff EJ, et al. The ABMS MOC Part III Examination: value, concerns, and alternative formats. Acad Med. 2016;91:1509-15. [PMID: 27355778] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York (L.G.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M18-1459.Corresponding Author: Lee Goldman, MD, MPH, Harold and Margaret Hatch Professor, Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 630 West 168th Street, Suite 2-401, New York, NY 10032; e-mail, [email protected]edu.This article was published at Annals.org on 12 June 2018. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAssociations Between American Board of Internal Medicine Maintenance of Certification Status and Performance on a Set of Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) Process Measures Bradley Gray , Jonathan Vandergrift , Bruce Landon , James Reschovsky , and Rebecca Lipner Metrics Cited byThe Vision for the Future Commission on Continuing Board Certification: Initial Perspectives from the American Board of OphthalmologyMaintenance of Certification Status and Performance on a Set of Process MeasuresAlan R. Ertle, MD, MPH, MBACan Maintenance of Certification Pass the Test? 17 July 2018Volume 169, Issue 2Page: 124-125KeywordsCholesterolCoronary heart diseaseDisclosureHealth careHealth information technologyHospital medicineLow density lipoproteinMammographyPatientsSurgeons ePublished: 12 June 2018 Issue Published: 17 July 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...