ABMS Vision for the Future Commission Releases Report on MOC Process

On December 11, 2018, the ABMS Vision for the Future Commission released a report regarding their review of the MOC process. The Commission was tasked with reviewing MOC within the current medical profession and confronted issues that ABMS Boards and Diplomats experience. The Commission addressed areas that are problematic for physicians and provided recommendations for overhauling the MOC system, including retiring the “maintenance of certification” terminology. It remains to be seen what specific changes the ABMS will make to the MOC process, but the commission’s report represents a concerted turn towards real change in the current status quo.

                The Commission also recommended that ABMS boards conduct research to analyze the success of continued certification in helping clinicians provide quality and safe care for their patients. In addition, ABMS should research potential activities that help clinicians maintain their skills. The commission did not directly address fees, yet the survey measured that 58% of doctors said MOC costs were their top concern, 52% said MOC was a burden, and 48% said MOC was not a true reflection of their abilities as clinicians. The Commission report suggested shifting from single point-in-time assessments leveraged years apart to more regular, longitudinal, multi-source assessments to provide more useful appraisals of physicians’ ongoing competence. The report also encouraged medical staff offices and other credentialing professionals not to make credentialing and privileging decisions solely on the basis of certification status, but to utilize certification as an additional data point when evaluating practitioner applicants.

Commission Co-Chairs Christopher Colenda, MD and William Scanlon, PhD told Medscape that while fee structures and pricing were not addressed in the Commission report, they noted that boards should implement reasonable fees. They believe that the changes recommended will enhance the value of the MOC process for all stakeholders. Former NAMSS Presidents, Linda Waldorf and Diane Meldi contributed to the Commission’s work.

Click here to read the Commission’s draft report and here for more information regarding the ABMS commission report on MOC. NAMSS will continue to monitor any further actions of the Commission and changes to the MOC process.